


Kairi: Heart of Light

by WavesBlade



Series: Road to Dusk [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bitterness, Darkness, Gen, Loss, Self-Sacrifice, Torture, light - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-11-14 15:29:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 113,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11210934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WavesBlade/pseuds/WavesBlade
Summary: Book Two of the Road to Dusk series: Set ten years after Aqua: Heart of Darkness. Kairi has lived in Traverse Town ever since Radiant Garden fell. Disillusioned and hardened by life, she yearns to leave the world, find 'Master Aqua' and set things right. New news, a weird dream, a key, a heartless invasion, and a boy with spiky hair gives her the chance to do just that. Will she succeed? Or will the darkness eating the worlds consume her?





	1. Ten Years Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pre-requisite: If you haven't read Aqua: Heart of Darkness. You will most likely be completely lost when reading this, as this is a continuation, and NOT a stand alone story. Go read book one before you start on book two.

Kairi sat in headquarters of the Guardians of Traverse Town in the first district, in the girl's bathroom, looking herself over in the mirror before she started her shift in the radio room. She'd rather be out on patrol, but, orders were orders, she was stuck with radio duty, keeping tabs on the various patrols that kept Traverse Town safe. She gave herself one final look over, adjusting her Guardian's uniform. Leon had told her once it was the closest they could get to being a replica of the uniform he used to wear in the Radiant Garden Military Academy. Formal, gray, and white buttoned. It came with white gloves, thick black boots, and a belt at the center to keep the top and bottom parts together. He said it used to be required to have a tie to go with the uniform, thankfully that part was never enforced. Not that most of the Guardian's wore the bland uniform anyway, most preferred their normal clothes that they arrived in Traverse Town with, not that she had any choice in that matter considering the age she had arrived here and the lack of fitting clothes she had...

Arrived...

She sighed to herself and left the room, making for the radio room and sitting down at the table with all the equipment and monitors, brooding to herself. It had been ten long years since she arrived in Traverse Town. Since her home world had been swallowed by darkness. Since then, so many worlds had followed her own into the black abyss. Kairi could remember, as a little girl, being able to look into the sky and see countless stars...

Now?

She'd be lucky to see a single star in the sky in the clearest of nights.

So many worlds had fallen to the shadow. Traverse Town had been flooded with refugees. The town could magically grow itself new districts to try and accommodate it's population. She knew someone kept track of that sort of thing, but, she had stopped counting the number of districts when it had gotten to be over one-hundred.

And that was years ago.

Traverse Town had become a city of refugees.

No...

That wasn't right...

Cities were supposed to be magnificent...

Traverse Town was not. It was flooded and overcrowded with people. It wasn't a city, it was a giant slum on the outskirts, barely livable on the inner portions. The energy it took the world to make new districts had taxed it heavily. Newer districts were far less pleasant and livable than the original few. One could notice the steady degrading of quality after the first ten districts. Food, if you weren't a guardian or in one of the various gangs scattered through Traverse Town, was scarce. What few hospitals Traverse Town had were flooded, and their few doctors overworked. There just wasn't enough to go around, it's why the Guardians had taken over managing food and space and protection. Though, their management wasn't always welcome...

Kairi sighed heavily. She had come to Traverse Town at the age of four. For two years, she had lived with her ' _adoptive parents_ ' Leon and Yuffie. More like distant guardians if one asked her, though she couldn't fault them for it. Leon was just naturally a distant man, and Yuffie had always been out trying to ' _provide_ ' for them by stealing instead of being at home. All that had changed one day when Leon had finally had enough, when one of his friends from their home world that had come to Traverse Town with them, Aerith, had been stabbed and almost killed for the few loafs of breed she had been carrying to a park to share with the children there.

Leon had formed the Guardians to try and bring order to the ailing town, right in Aerith's hospital room. Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, a man named Cid, and herself, had been the founding members. She gave a soft, weak giggle at that. A founding member huh? Honestly, it had been only in name back then, an attempt to bring a smile to her face after all the hardships they had been facing since arriving in this world. She could faintly recall not taking Aerith's stabbing well, at all. Becoming a founding member, the promise to make Traverse Town a better place, to be a hero, it had pacified her as a young girl and given her a sense of hope...

She still wasn't sure or not if that sense of hope had been false.

For two years, she had served as a little aid to the Guardians of Traverse town as they grew and their influence spread, until at last, at the age of eight, she had coerced Leon to actually teach her to use a weapon. He hadn't wanted to, but, Kairi could be very stubborn and relentless when she wanted to be. Leon had finally caved in when she had threatened to go on patrols on her own with nothing but her wooden toy sword. After all, it wasn't like he could lock her in a room and stop her. For one Leon wasn't that cruel, and for two, there was no lock she couldn't pick, Yuffie was a great teacher in that regard, among other very questionable things.

She had started out with daggers and stuck with them for a few years. After all, she had been a scrawny little girl for awhile. It had taken a lot of patrols, fighting, and exercising to get her to the point where she could lift a short sword at the age of ten. Some of the other girls she used to play with called her freaky, what with her powers of light, her growing muscles, her ' _obsessive_ ' desire to train, to be a hero. Needless to say, she had stopped playing with those children, with any children at all to be honest, and had fully devoted herself to her duties as a Guardian of Traverse Town.

It was also during that time that the taxation of the world's energy had really become apparent, and food and space had started to dwindle. The Guardians had been forced to take over the resources of the districts they guarded and ration them out while waiting for the various gardens to produce food. That hadn't gone over well with the populace. It... had been a really bleak day when the Guardians had been forced to fight for control of the core of Traverse Town, from the gangs and from the unwelcoming citizenship...

Kairi reached for her short sword that rested against the desk, and brought it to rest on her lap. She stared at it silently, and sadly. Until that day, all she had done on patrols were break up fights, help people out, and destroy Heartless. That dark day, had been the first time she had ever killed someone, a living breathing sentient person. It was an awful sensation, one she hadn't wanted ever repeated...

But...

Life was cruel in that regard, wasn't it?

Since then, from ten until now, at the age of fourteen, she had served as once of the core and founding members in far more than just name. Though, it was only in the last two years that Leon had really let her off the leash. After all, he couldn't really afford not to. They were to stripped for resources, had not nearly enough people to watch over and guard Traverse Town. She had finally been allowed to go on solo-patrols, without someone watching over her like a hawk at Leon's insistence.

Not that she had really needed the protection to begin with one she had a weapon, and even before that. She had a gift few others had. She could call out to the light, it was her power. Where other's focused on weapons, or magic, she had the light, it was always with her. Conscious effort and control of it had been weak at first. The only times back then, well... even now... that she showed really impressive displays of heavier power was when she or people she cared about were in severe danger, it kind of just happened. She had once wiped an entire district clean of Heartless with a nova of light after a particularly brutal outbreak of them. However, the only reliable things she could do was cast little spheres of light she liked to call ' _pearls_ ', heal people with a touch, and could cloak her sword in a light that _REALLY_ hurt Heartless when it bit into them.

Her eyes narrowed and her fist tightened over her sword handle at the thought of the Heartless. How she loathed those creatures, the ones who had stolen her world, stolen her... grandma... from her. They preyed on the hearts of the innocent and the guilty alike, consuming them and turning them into more Heartless. They lurked in the darkness, in every dark alleyway, in every unlit room, and if anyone ever went into the sewer system alone, they were probably not coming out as a living person again, the hordes rumored to live down there would eat them alive.

The constant patrols of the Guardians of Traverse Town kept the Heartless presence down in public places, and was one of the reasons that the citizenship had finally accepted their protection. The ability to freely walk down a street without getting jumped by a heartless and having their hearts ripped out of their chests was a pretty good motivator after all.

She had seen it enough times... that look of utter terror and despair... as a heartless killed its victim, taking their heart out to be consumed by darkness. People would do anything to not have that be their fate. Accepting rations, limited housing, and a curfew was hardly a bad deal in comparison to the lawlessness of the uncontrolled outer districts, and the constant threat of death and being turned into a mindless heartless that would attack their former friends and loved ones.

It was one of the most sickening things, to see a newly turned heartless turn on those it had once held dear. She had seen turned mothers kill their children and turn them into more heartless. She had seen lovers beg and plead, only to be consumed. There was _NO_ reasoning with the Heartless, as much as they tried to explain to the populace. If someone turned, they had to run to a Guardian immediately for help. Some listened, some didn't. They just tried to keep arguing with those they had cared for... e-even as the heartless t-tore i-into them...

She ran a shaking hand anxiously through her hair, trying to banish the horrific memories...

_*crackle*_

_"Hey! Who da fuck's on radio duty tonight? Da hell is it so god damn quiet?"_

Kairi was thankfully broken from her thoughts, and reached out for the radio. "Kairi here Mr. Wallace."

_"Aww shucks kid, I told you, it's Barret."_

Barret Wallace was one of the leaders of the outer branches of the Guardians. They had buildings located every ten districts or so to serve as bases of operation. Barret was a... curious man. The first time she had met him, she had been shocked. She had never seen a man like him before, with darker skin and that rather up-front and rude cussing personality. Of course though, she had seen right through him pretty quickly. He could act as gruff as he wanted to, deep down he had a heart of pure gold, especially towards his little adoptive daughter Marlene. He and his small group, he liked to call AVALANCHE for some reason, had situated themselves in the outermost portion of the Guardian's control, right in the thick of things. To her chagrin, it often led to that one little quirk of his she really disliked, that he always had his radio on when...

_RATATATATATATA!_

Kairi jumped a little, _THAT_ , he always had his radio on when he fired that gun arm of his. "Jeez Mr. Wallace, you scared the shit out of me."

" _What, do ya want me to smack the Heartless with my gun instead?_ "

Leon's voice crackled into the radio. " _Kairi, swear jar._ "

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Aww come on Leon..."

" _Now_ ," was his reply.

Kairi sighed and reached over to the side of the radio table, turning on the radio, holding the jar, and dropping a single munny into it with an audible ' _tink_ '. There was a roar and chorus of laughter through the radio, making her face burn with embarrassment. The swear jar was Leon's attempt to ' _counter_ ' Barret's ' _influence_ '. She scoffed a little to herself, it wasn't like she swore often anyway...

Ah well, anyway, might as well get started. "Alright then, roll call. Sound off."

Leon's voice came in. " _Leon reporting, districts one through ten appear clear tonight._ "

A female voice came in. " _Rapunzel here, pretty quiet in eleven through twenty. Only had one fight I had to break up. I promised them that if they stopped fighting I wouldn't have to set em' straight. Shame they didn't remember that I DON'T break my promises_..."

" _Hey! Let me go you crazy broad!_ " came a voice through the radio.

 _"...the instigator is kind of tangled at the moment,_ " finished Rapunzel.

Kairi smirked, knowing full well what was meant by that. That young woman's ridiculous hair was one heck of a weapon when it came down to it.

The radio cackled to life again. " _Hiro and Baymax here, twenty-one through thirty are looking good._ "

Kairi waited patiently for the next voice to come in, but when nothing happened she grabbed a clipboard hanging off the wall to check who was scheduled to...

She groaned and then clicked the radio on. "Mr. Sparrow, check in please."

" _Hide the rum_!" was the reply, followed by the shattering of glass and the roar of tavern laughter.

She sighed. "You know in my opinion, boozers are losers!"

" _Now that, fair damsel, is rude. The Heartless may kill me, but at least they never insult me_ ," was the pirate's curt reply.

Leon's voice clicked in. " _Just give a report Sparrow._ "

" _Fine fine, thirty-one through forty were not on fire, nor out of rum, last I checked_ ," finished Jack, before the very audible and obnoxious noise of someone drinking something loudly was heard.

"Why is he part of the Guardians...," muttered Kairi under her breath.

" _I dunno m-miss Kairi,_ " came a polite young voice cackling through the radio.

Kairi smiled briefly, recognizing who was talking. "Everything fine Arthur?"

" _Ahuh, d-districts forty-one through fifty are f-fine_ ," stammered the boy.

" _Oh that's lovely, the boy gets first name treatment_ ," came Sparrow's mocking voice.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Well, if you were as nice as Mr. Pendragon, didn't drink all the time, and had a sword like Excalibur, I'd consider calling you Jack, but we all know better."

There was a chorus of laughter through the radio.

" _Don't know why little 'Wart' has a sword that big_ ," muttered Sparrow.

" _Some of us have reports to give if you are all done holding up the line_ ," came a curt female voice.

" _Ah, hello Miss Lockheart, care to join me at the pub_?" asked Sparrow.

" _Only if Cloud comes with me so he can show you the sharp end of his sword up close_ ," came a cold reply.

Owch. Shutdown!

Kairi smiled mischievously at that. "Anyway, Report Tifa."

" _Districts fifty-one through sixty are fine, were some of the emblem heartless here earlier, but Cloud and I took care of them_ ," was her reply.

Kairi frowned intently. There were differences in the type of Heartless. Pureblood as Leon had called the first type, had no special symbol on them. They were basic looking, and didn't come in that many shapes or sizes. They acted mostly on instinct, and the smaller variants were moderately easy to handle so long as they didn't come in bulk. The more powerful ones were rare in Traverse Town, though, refugees often brought word of more powerful ones from the last days of their dying worlds. Invisibles... Darkballs... Dark Sides... and more...

Emblem Heartless however were different. They were smarter, acted with coordination, and always came in groups. They came in _FAR_ more shapes and sizes than Purebloods, with a variety of abilities. They acted with purpose, which was usually the consumption of hearts and replication, before surprisingly, fleeing. They made Kairi nervous, because as much as she loathed _ALL_ Heartless, the Purebloods felt like natural creatures of darkness. The Emblem Heartless did not.

Kairi flicked the radio. "Alright Tifa, you and Cloud keep your eyes pealed. I don't like Emblem Heartless being on the prowl."

" _Agreed_ ," she faintly heard Cloud say.

Kairi considered sending in someone to help them from another district, it was well within her role and abilities to do so tonight, but... she'd trust them to handle things. "Alright then, nex..."

_RUMBLE SHAKE_

Kairi gripped the radio table as the building briefly shook before she sighed, a number of others doing so through the radio as well. They all knew that rumble. Another district had just been born. It seemed like it happened every other day.

"Alright, whose closest?" asked Kairi.

Barret's voice crackled in. " _Fuck, just my god damn luck. I almost miss the days I lived under that fucking pizza dome. I'm going._ "

"Say Leon, when do we get _HIM_ a swear jar?" joked Kairi.

There was the cocking of a gun through the radio. " _I like you kid, but I'd love to see you try._ "

Kairi grinned at that. "Maybe I will one day. Alright, go check it out Barret, direct any new arrivals to the first district for 'orientation' and..."

" _Yeah yeah yeah, I know how it's done!_ " was his reply.

"Leave your radio on," she added in.

It was one of the easier ways to spread news of the outside world between all members, by having them listen in to the stories of the newcomers.

" _I know I know, what are you, my mother?_ " he replied.

Kairi rolled her eyes and started to brood. Orientation, or rather, 'Hi, sorry your world was eaten by the Heartless, welcome to Traverse Town', was the brief run down they gave all newcomers before assigning them to a district. It was, to be absolutely honest, one of the roles she _HATED_ the most. To just lay it on people that their world was gone, dead, and that most of the people they had ever known were gone as well. It was also the one she got assigned the most, because apparently she made people ' _smile_ ' and feel ' _comfortable_ ' to be around.

" _ **ALOHA**_!" suddenly came through the radio, making Kairi jump.

What the heck...?

" _What the fuck is that thing_? _Looks weird as hell_ ," came Barret's incredulous voice.

" _Also_ c _ute and fluffy!_ " came an absurdly cheerful response.

There was the cocking of a gun before a little girl's panicked voice cried out, " _Wait wait! Don't shoot Stitch! He's okay, he's my friend!_ "

" _If that little fuzz ball so much as touches me, I will hit it_!" warned Barret, sounding strangely skittish.

" _Blue punch buggy?_ " was a response from this 'Stitch'.

" _No Stitch, no punch buggy!_ " scolded the little girl.

Kairi stared at the radio in her hand. Okay... something weird had just arrived in Traverse Town if she had to guess.

" _Anyone else with you kid_?" asked Barret.

" _No... I don't know where Nani is... we were running from the shadow thingies, and then the ground got all crackly and started spewing black smoke out of it,_ " came the girl's scared reply.

Kairi sighed quietly. It was always the same story, the same death for each and every world. Sounded like they had another orphan to put in the orphanage.

" _But I don't get it, Nani said the Mouse with the Key sealed the Keyhole thingy, she said we were_ supposed to be sa _fe_ ," said the girl, sniffling.

Kairi froze and suckered in a breath.

 _Key_.

The girl _JUST_ said _Key,_ just said _MOUSE_ with the Key...

As in...

The Keyblade.

There was no coincidence, it was one of the Keybearers. Newcomers sometime came with news of those fabled warriors. There was rumored to be six of them, three men, two boys, and a mouse. They fought against the Heartless. She had heard stories that a single one of these Keybearers could take on legions of Heartless alone, or as a pair if it was the boys. They fought as hard as they could, forestalling the fate of the worlds for a time, but they couldn't be everywhere. When they left, darkness was quick to return, and then the world's fell in their absence. It was a endless struggle, one she sorely wished she could help in. Regardless, it was great to hear more about the Keybearers... but...

She closed her eyes, a tear sliding down her face. But there was never any news on Master Aqua, never any stories of anyone described to resemble her...

Kairi shook her head, coughed, cleared her throat, and flicked on the radio. "Leon, could you send Yuffie to cover me? I'll give our newest arrivals orientation."

" _Kairi..._ ," came Leon's stern, rising tone.

He knew she hated orientation, knew full well what she was doing. He did not like her being ' _lost in the past_ ', and did not like news of the Keybearers, or anything she could relate to Master Aqua. He'd rather she focus on the here and now, and what she could do to better herself and her life rather than dreaming for what was lost. She could admit... she had gotten into quite a few arguments with him that ended in a rough sparring session over that, because like hell would she ever give up on that dream. If she did... what honestly would she have left? Without her dream of finding Master Aqua... she'd have nothing left. Things certainly weren't getting any better in this world... there wasn't a day that went by that it didn't get worse in some way, shape, or form, and it was only a matter of time before **_IT_** came and consumed their world...

"As I said, I'll handle orientation," she answered calmly, "You can send Yuffie, or you can have the radio unmanned for awhile."

There was a grumbled before a 'Fine', came over the radio. She knew she was going to hear it later, but she didn't honestly care. She lived for the moments where she could hear about the Keyblade, about what Master Aqua had promised her...

_In your hand, take this Key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, it's wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend—no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love._

Kairi shivered as Master Aqua's words echoed through her mind. Even ten years later, she could still so readily recall them with perfect clarity...

_One day Kairi, when you're older, I'll come back for you. I'll be your master, and you'll be my apprentice, I'll teach you all about being a Keyblade Wielder. About the worlds, about yourself, about the light and the darkness._

Kairi answered the memory quietly. "Y-you promise?"

_I promise._

She could still remember the feeling of Master Aqua ruffling her hair...

Kairi violently shook her head to throw off the memory and sucked in a ragged breath, forcibly calming herself. She waited patiently as the radio roll call continued, not paying as much attention as she should of. Yuffie walked in a few minutes later, rolled her eyes and thumbed the door behind her, and Kairi walked out, strapping her short sword to her back. She walked to the courtyard of the first district, starting at the massive doors that never opened, waiting patiently. Finally, half an hour later, they arrived.

"Go talk to the girl down there, she'll take care of you kid," came Barret's voice.

"Okay...," came a little girl's response.

Kairi turned her head, catching a glimpse of Barret's torn up leather jacket before he rounded the corner to return to his patrol. She lowered her gaze to a small girl in a red and white flowery dress. She had long black hair for someone that young, and beady black eyes. Next to her...

What the... was that the ' _Cute and Fluffy_ ' thing?

Next to her was a little entirely blue furry creature with huge ears, huge eyes, and a huge nose. It's hands and feet were clawed. At first glance, it didn't seem strong or imposing, but to Kairi, she could feel that the little furball actually had a rather impressive amount of strength. Curious... and moderately adorable, but she wouldn't be caught dead say that aloud.

"Hello, I'm Kairi, welcome to Traverse Town, what are your names?" she asked.

The little girl smiled meekly at her. "I'm Lilio, and this is Stitch!"

"Aloha!" said the creature, waving a paw at her.

Kairi smiled softly at the creature, it was rather cheery for something that had just lost it's world.

"You said this was... Traverse Town?" asked Lilo.

Kairi nodded, took in a breath, let it out, and braced herself. "Yes, it's a special world where people come after their worlds have been destroyed by the Heartless."

As she expected, Lilo's eyes went wide with panic and tears before she threw herself at Stitch, crying into it's shoulder. Kairi wanted to look away, but forced herself to watch, she... she had to be impassive and strong for newcomers. They often needed something or someone strong to ground themselves on until they got themselves situated. Especially children. She couldn't stop her eyes from softening and appearing completely detached like Leon could, but, she could come relatively close... she had had years of practice after all...

Kairi waited the crying out before she walked over and placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "It'll be okay. We'll take care of you, here in Traverse Town, we look after one another."

Lilo sniffled. "I want Nani..."

"Whose Nani?" asked Kairi softly.

"My big sister," mumbled Lilo.

Ugh... even worse for the poor girl, losing family was the worst... she knew from personal experience...

"I'm sorry, maybe she'll show up one day though," Kairi lied through her teeth, "You'll just have to wait for her, okay?"

Lilo sniffled and nodded, giving her a small smile. "Okay."

Kairi hated doing it, hated giving people false hope, but, they needed something to hold onto...

Kind of like her and Master Aqua...

She closed her eyes and took in a ragged breath, slowly letting it out and banishing the thought. "We'll get you to an orphanage in a bit..."

"C-can Stitch come with me?" asked Lilo.

Kairi nodded. "Of course, friends shouldn't be separated from one another, but... I have a question for you..."

"About what?" asked Lilo.

"You mentioned a Mouse, a Key, and a Keyhole?" asked Kairi.

Lilo grew confused. "How'd you know that?"

"I heard you talking through our radio," Kairi explained.

Lilo blinked. "Oh... well... Mickey stayed awhile at our place while he was looking for the Keyhole thingy awhile back..."

Kairi's eyes grew wide, the girl had actually _MET_ a Keybearer, had she just learned a name of one of the Keybears?! "Mickey? Is that the mouse with the Key's name?"

Lilo nodded. "Ahuh, he's really nice and funny, but really serious when the shadowy things attacked us. He beat em all up! Then he locked the Keyhole thingy and said we were going to be safe."

The girl's face fell. "But we weren't... Stitch said the icky feeling was coming, and then... then..."

The girl trailed off, tears in her eyes, unable to continue.

Kairi glanced over at Stitch. The icky feeling huh? She had a hunch Stitch was strong and strange enough that it could feel **_IT_** , feel the dark presence from the sky. The darkness consuming all worlds. So... the presence had personally devoured their world. These two were lucky to be alive, very very lucky...

Still...

"What is a 'Keyhole'?" asked Kairi.

"Mickey said it was the path to the 'heart of our world', and that locking it would keep us safe," said Lilo.

Kairi contemplated it. This was the first time she had ever heard about a Keyhole. If a Keybearer said locking it was supposed to keep a world safe, then she trusted in those words.

But...

It appeared doing that wasn't enough, not anymore, not against **_IT_**...

And that was a terrifying thought, the realize that something the Keybearers had apparently been relying on the keep worlds safe was no longer enough.

She sighed and decided to ask her one last default question, the one she asked every single person who had news on the Keybearers, "Did either of you see a blue haired lady with a Key like the mouses on your world by chance?"

Lilo shook her head. "No, what about you Stitch?"

Kairi turned her head, noting that Stitch seemed to be deep in thought. The creature stood like that for a minute, as if trying to recall a memory, before it turned, reached a paw into a side pocket of Lilo's dress and pulled out...

Kairi let out a strangled gasp. It might have been made out of junk, but she _KNEW_ that shape _ANYWHERE_! It was... it was just like Master Aqua's good luck charm...

"Fren-circle, frens Terra, Ven, look for lost fren, look for Ah-koo-wah," said Stitch slowly.

Kairi froze, she completely froze up. Ah-koo-wah... Aqua... Master Aqua...

Stitch _KNEW_ of her!

Kairi stared at the creature, not having a clue how to react. Not once... not once in ten years, had _ANYONE_ ever brought her news like this of Master Aqua, had never once given her any kind of hope...

Kairi reached over and grabbed it by it's shoulders. "W-when... when did you... meet your friends that were looking for 'Ah-koo-wah?"

Stitch counted on it's paw for a moment. "Ten bits."

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed. "Bits...?"

"Orbits," said Lilo, "He means years."

Kairi's face fell. She felt utterly crushed. It wasn't recently... it was ten years ago...

Ten years ago when everything went wrong...

Kairi closed her eyes and forced herself to stand. "A-alright... let's get you two to the orphanage."

She opened her eyes and led them to the second district orphanage, her thoughts lost in her head, her body trembling a bit now and then. She dropped them off without another word, and while she knew it was cold not to say goodbye... she just... she just couldn't...

Kairi backed away from the orphanage door, turned, and ran. She ran to the house she lived in with Leon and Yuffie, to her room and slammed the door behind her. She crawled to the corner of her bed and pulled up her knees to sob into them. It had been so long... it had been so long, and now she finally had an answer as to what might have happened, why Master Aqua never came for her. That this 'Terra' and 'Ven' had been looking for her... that Stitch said that Master Aqua was said to be 'lost', told her so much, and yet so little at the same time.

"I knew it...," sobbed Kairi, "I knew Master Aqua wouldn't have abandoned me... something happened to her..."

She didn't honestly know if that was relieving or terrifying. To be frank... as much as the thought deeply disturbed her... she'd rather Master Aqua have abandoned her and been okay, then be ' _lost_ ' and potentially hurt out there somewhere... she _REFUSED_ to even consider the woman being dead...

That of course, turned her from sad, to frustrated and furious. "Yet, I can't do a damn thing either way! I don't have a way to leave, I'm stuck on this world! I can't go out and find her!"

She slammed her fist into her bed in anger. "I... I should have been out there... Master Aqua should have been teaching me... and together, we could have fought whatever is destroying the worlds. Fought the presence..."

Slowly, she rose to her feet and to her window and looked up into the starless sky. It was ever present, since the day Radiant Garden had fallen. That foul, evil, oppressive, disturbing presence in the sky. Normal people without magic or access to the light were lucky. They didn't feel it, couldn't sense it grow stronger day by day as star by star blinked out of the sky. The people who could had to find ways to ignore it, lest they be lost in it and give in to despair. It felt... _beyond powerful_... to acknowledge the presence was to give up hope...

Well, for most people...

She personally wanted to fight it, she wanted to find Master Aqua, get a bit of training, and then go fight it at her master's side. Like a hero... a hero she had been promised to become...

Kairi walked over to her bed, set her short-sword down against the wall, climbed into bed, and curled up, feeling tired and drained, and closed her eyes to sleep despite the early hour, whispering quietly to herself, "Master Aqua... what happened to you? Where are you..."


	2. Dive to Heart

Kairi found herself falling through a bright ocean, bubbles slipping past her as she surged down. She looked around, momentarily confused, before she saw something far below. It was a mural on a platform of herself. Curiously, she noted that she was in a strange kind of red and white armor, unlike anything she had seen before. Her eyes were closed, a tired look on her face. In her hands...

Kairi gasped at what she saw. In her hands was a key. It was almost entirely pure white The grip as silvery, and to the side protectively as a guard were two white wings. Connecting the handle to the blade, was a white heart with two silvery spikes pointing out. The blade itself was two straight sharp metal parts, connecting at the end, having a strange looking blue, purple, and yellow star like end as the 'key' part of the Keyblade. Finally, attached to the bottom of the Keyblade was a chain leading down to a pink good luck charm with a blue leaf, so much like the one Master Aqua had. Instinctively, she reached for it, reached for the promised key, for a blade whose name she knew for a reason she didn't know why: _Oathkeeper_.

Nothing appeared in her hand, to her annoyance. She took in the rest of the mural. Her first notice was how the whole color scheme seemed to be red and white. Then, she noted that next to her painted body was three white circles with red lines connecting them. The closest one made her smile, while the picture was faded, it was the face of Master Aqua. strangely, she appeared to be just as asleep as the painting of Kairi was. The two immediately connected to that were of Leon and Yuffie. There were smaller circles connected by more lines next to them that continued going off to the other side of the mural, growing smaller as they went. Each one had someone's face, each one was one of the many Guardians of Traverse Town that she knew. The outer ring of the mural had the repeated pattern of a blue heart with a white outline.

Kairi flipped and landed on the platform, bringing up a hand to rub her chin in thought. Her first one was to consider this place a dream...

But...

She knew it wasn't. She remembered the last time she had been in a place like this, of a painting of Master Aqua. She remembered it easily, even ten years later, because it was where she almost lost her, where the tears in Master Aqua's heart had almost killed her. Kairi smiled faintly, recalling the deed that she could always turn to with such pride, having unleashed her light to banish that pain ripping her master apart. Healed her heart, and drove out the darkness of that vile old man. His face, she could also unfortunately recall with clarity.

_So much to do, so little time..._

Kairi cocked her head at the voice. "Hello...?"

_Take your time, don't be afraid..._

She frowned. "Afraid of what...?"

_The door, while damaged, is still shut and shielded, and the shadow, for the briefest of moments, looks away..._

Kairi contemplated the words for a moment. She didn't know what to make of the 'damaged door', but the shadows looking away was easy enough to understand. The night had been calm, with few Heartless around, a time for rest and recovery.

_Now step forward, can you do it, Princess of Heart?_

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "Princess...?"

When no reply came, she shrugged and took a step forward. There was a bright flash of light, and three pedestals, one with a sword, one with a shield, and one with a staff appeared before her.

_Power sleeps within you, if you give it form, it will give you strength, choose well._

Kairi instinctively moved towards the sword, moved to the blade of a fighter, and hefted it up off it's pedestal.

_Interesting, for a princess..._

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, her temper flaring a little.

_The power of the warrior._

_Invincible courage._

_A sword of terrible destruction._

_Is this the power you seek?_

Kairi looked up into the sky. "A sword isn't a thing of destruction. It's a symbol, the power to slay evil, and protect your friends."

As if in response, the shield on the next platform flashed, making Kairi scoff. "You can shield them all you want, but unless you destroy the evil plaguing them, the danger will always return. Traverse Town and it's hundreds of districts, and thousands of lost people, is clear proof of that."

She thought she heard faint chuckling off in the distance, making her eyes narrow in irritation. "The sword is my choice. Deal with it."

The sword flashed and disappeared in a flash of light. Immediately, Kairi felt as if her heart was shifting, and a sense of strength entered into her body.

_Your path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange?_

Kairi's eyes turned to the shield and the sword, contemplative. While she may have bashed the shield a moment ago, she disliked the staff even more. She knew what it represented, she had seen enough wizards or witches in Traverse Town with one. It meant magic, the power of a mage. It was something she wanted nothing to do with. Hanging back, casting spells from the sidelines when her friends were in the thick of things in danger? No thanks. She'd be right in the middle of a fight with them if it were up to her. She didn't need magic, not when she had the light, and especially not if she ever got her key.

She walked over and picked up the staff.

_The power of the mystic._

_Inner strength._

_A staff of wonder and ruin._

_You give up this power?_

Kairi nodded. "Yes."

The staff vanished, and Kairi suddenly felt slightly drained, not of strength no, but of a different kind of energy. She recognized it from the attempts Leon had made to get her to learn the cure spell. She didn't really need it, not when she could heal with light.

_You've chosen the power of the warrior._

_You've given up the power of the mystic._

_Is this the form you choose?_

Kairi nodded. "Yes."

The pedestals vanished, sinking back into the mural. Kairi held a hand up to her chest, feeling her heart flutter, and then solidify. There was no going back from the choice she made now she figured. That was fine, she didn't do take-backs.

There was a flash of light, and suddenly, Kairi found herself in the first district of Traverse Town.

_There has never been a bearer princess before..._

_So tell me..._

_About yourself..._

Three people appeared in a triangle formation a ways away, surrounding her. She smiled sadly, and with a bit of pain, to see her grandma standing in front of her. To the left was Leon and, and to the right Yuffie...

Kairi frowned as she noticed something in the distance, before the giant double door of the first district. It was a figure, feminine in nature, wrapped entirely in shadow. It was a bit unsettling...

Kairi shook her head and approached her grandma. "Hi grandma... it's... really nice to see you again."

The elderly woman smiled at her. "My grandchild, what are you so afraid of?"

Kairi blinked and frowned, contemplating the question. There were so many ways she could answer. The Heartless, devouring her heart and turning her into a mindless monster. Losing her friends. Never finding Master Aqua. Failing those she cared for, finding herself fighting the darkness with no one at her side, and no one left to protect, being the last light standing against the darkness...

She closed her eyes and spoke softly, "Being alone."

She opened her eyes to sadly regard her Grandma as she spoke, "Is being alone truly so scary?"

Her grandma vanished a moment later before Kairi could reply, she sighed before turning and approaching Yuffie. "Hi mom..."

Yuffie gave her a smile. "Heya squirt, what do you want out of life?"

That was a relatively easy answer, in a way. She wanted to be a hero, to help and save people, to make a stand against the darkness devouring the worlds, but if she had to phrase it...

"I want to make a difference," she answered.

Yuffie gave her a very none-Yuffie-like contemplative look, for she knew Yuffie and thinking never mixed. "Is making a difference that important?"

"If the difference means saving those I care for, not letting the last light fade, then yes," she retorted.

Yuffie gave her a cheeky grin before vanishing in a puff of light.

Kairi slowly shook her head and approached Leon. "And what about you, dad?"

Leon gave her a stern look. "Kairi, what is most important to you?"

Hrm...

Kairi mulled it over for a time, no matter how she turned it in her head, or how she phrased it, the answer boiled down to. "Those I care about. They've already suffered so much, I don't want them to suffer anymore."

Leon studied her, a hint of approval in his eyes. "Are those you care about, are your friends, family, and even strangers who pull at the strings of your heart, truly that important?"

Kairi gave him a hard stare, not even dignifying that absurd question a response.

Leon vanished, and for a moment, Kairi thought it was over, before she noticed uneasily that Traverse Town was starting to darken. Kairi glanced at the shadowy feminine figure and approached it. The fact that there were four 'people' here for some reason made Kairi feel uneasy. Three felt right, four, did not.

Kairi reached out and touched a shadow arm of the figure. "Hello...?

There was a blinding flash of light, and the shadows faded away from the figure, revealing...

"Master Aqua," whispered Kairi reverently.

The blue haired woman smiled down at Kairi, a very tired look on her face. "Kairi... why in your heart, do you hold onto me like you do? Why not let me fade?"

Kairi stared at her, incredulous. "Why? Why! Because you saved me! You fought through all that pain, and nearly died for me! You were so strong despite all of that, I wanted to grow up to be just like you. I..."

A tear slid down her face. "I want to find you, I want you to teach me to be a hero like you are, I want to stand at your side, fighting against those who misuse the darkness."

Master Aqua slowly shook her head. "You should reconsider that... if you seek me out... all you find... will be utter darkness..."

Kairi's temper flared. "Do you not remember what I told you all those years ago? I don't care if _YOU_ use the darkness. You used it to protect me, you would never use it in a bad way, you'd never use it to hurt an innocent. You're a good person, and you using it is fine."

Master Aqua gave her a sad look, almost one of pity. "Are you honestly so sure of that?"

"I am," Kairi answered confidently.

Master Aqua turned her head, as if ashamed, and vanished.

_You're afraid of being alone._

_You want to make a difference._

_You hold those you care for deep in your heart._

_You seek the Recusant, even through utter darkness..._

_Is this truly what describes you?_

Kairi nodded. "If by Recusant you mean Master Aqua, then yes."

There was a heavy, almost uncomfortable silence before the voice spoke again, sounding almost regretful.

_Like the Recusant you seek..._

_Your adventure begins at dusk..._

_Your path will be dangerous..._

_With nothing but the dead of night awaiting you...  
_

_With dreams of the dawn as but a distant memory..._

"Even in the dead of night," whispered Kairi defiantly, "Even in the greatest darkness, exists an equally great, if not greater light. To use such darkness, and still show such care, Master Aqua showed me that."

There was a sad chuckle in the air before Traverse Town began to distort. The buildings curved and cracked, black smoke came out of them and the ground, as if the world was about to be consumed.

"No!" cried out Kairi, the sword she had chosen earlier appearing in her hands.

_The day you find the Recusant you seek..._

_Is both far off, and very near..._

They came.

From every corner, from every crack, and even from the giant-double door of the first district. The Heartless appeared and rushed for her. Kairi ignited her sword with light and tore into them with righteous fury. Never before had she felt so strong or determined. Light radiated off her blade, weakening the Heartless before they could even think to attack her. Each swing of her blade released a burst of light that threw the darkness back, but...

The darkness kept creeping back, no matter how much her light tried to beat it back...

_The farther you stray from the light in search of the one you seek..._

_The greater the darkness will grow, trying to consume you..._

As if in response to the voices words, great creatures of darkness, giant men with wings and tendrils for hair with heart shaped holes in their chest began to claw their way out of the ground. Kairi began to panic as the lesser hordes of Heartless and the greater creatures came for her...

_But don't be afraid..._

_And don't forget..._

Kairi began to radiate with light, making the creatures wither, but still they came for her...

_That you are a Princess of Heart..._

_A light so deeply connected to the Heart of All Worlds..._

A pillar of light descended from the sky and slammed into the ground all around Kairi, obliterating the Heartless, cracking the world at her feet, and causing it to shatter. Kairi fell through the shards, and into the endless darkness below.

_When you stand before the door..._

_In utter darkness..._

Kairi stopped falling, and floated there in darkness, but she was not alone. For a brief moment, she was happy to see that Maser Aqua was back and with her... but... something was wrong... something felt wrong... felt horrifically wrong...

It wasn't the Master Aqua she knew.

Her hair was longer, extending a bit down past her shoulders. Her clothes had changed, they were similar in style to the blue one's Kairi could remember, except, they were black and gray, with blue threaded through here and there. On her chest, instead of her pink stripes and that weird button, was a strange blue and black heart-like symbol, with the bottom of the heart curved and spiked out. It looked far to reminiscent of the Emblem Heartless symbol, except for the oddity that it was blue instead of red.

'Master Aqua' slowly floated towards her, a sinister look in her eye, her hand reaching out for Kairi's chest, for her heart...

_Look for the light..._

_And it will serve as more than just your salvation..._

There was an immense and blinding flash of light coming from behind 'Master Aqua', and then Kairi saw no more...


	3. Night of Fate

Kairi gave a startled cry and rolled out of bed and onto the floor with a thud. She clutched a hand to her chest, heart beating wildly, the imagine of that sinister version of Master Aqua reaching for her heart at the forefront of her mind. She wiped sweat from her forehead and stood up.

"Well... that 'dream' was a bit weird," she muttered.

She glanced out her window, noting that the sun was setting. "Aww come on! I knew I went to sleep early, but it's not even midnight yet?"

Kairi muttered to herself, tiredly rubbing her eyes, wondering whether or not she should just try to go back to sleep anyway...

Then a chill ran down her spine...

_Your adventure begins at dusk..._

She felt darkness, she felt a lot of it all the sudden as that echo of the words she had heard in her 'dream' filled her mind. The foul presence, _**IT**_ , felt closer to their world than Kairi had ever felt it before. Then, there was a scream outside, and Kairi immediately bolted, grabbing her short sword from where it rested and rushing out of the house.

She was mortified by what she saw. Heartless, dozens of shadow Heartless, were rushing through the first district chasing people down and devouring their hearts. For a split second, Kairi was at a complete loss. The first district was supposed to be safe! Protected! The Heartless almost _NEVER_ appeared here, especially not in such numbers...

Then her head caught up with what was going on and she sprang into action, igniting her sword with light and rushing forward. "Run! Just run and get out of here!"

She didn't know where to send the people, the first district was supposed to be where people were to fall back to. Supposed to be a safe haven. If it wasn't, then she wasn't sure where people could go. She didn't care at the moment though, so long as they weren't _HERE_ , getting their hearts torn out, anywhere else was fine.

She tore into the shadows, her light infused blade slicing clean through them and destroying them in one hit each.

_Woooosh!_

Kairi gave a yelp as Cid appeared, leaping of a building and stabbing his glowing spear into the ground in the middle of a group of Heartless. He released a burst of energy that obliterated them before turning and giving her a nod. Together, they made short work of the remaining shadows before regrouping.

"God dammit, I head for Shera's for my goddamn tea break, and there's fricken Heartless everywhere, what the hell?" fumed Cid.

Before she could respond, there was more screams coming from the second district gate, Cid swore, tossed Kairi his radio, and waved her off. "Go, I'll keep this district safe."

Kairi nodded, flicked on the radio. The moment she did, she was stunned by the bombardment of alarms, cries and screams coming through the radio. Every patrol was was reporting Heartless everywhere. Fear, real, true fear radiated through Kairi...

It was happening...

Traverse Town was being full on attacked by the Heartless... just like so many other worlds before they fell...

The presence, **_IT_** , was getting closer...

Kairi suckered in a breath, steeled herself, and ran for the second district, pressing the radio's button. "Kairi reporting in, where am I needed the most?"

"Kairi!" came a relieved Yuffie's cry, "All hell just broke loose! Me and Leon are..."

"Just pick a district and _GO_!" came Leon's order, the sound of his blade ripping through the air coming with it, "There isn't a place that doesn't need the Guardian's right, now!"

Kairi nodded and flicked off the radio, she couldn't concentrate with the sound and the screams and the fighting distracting her. She pushed open the doors to the second district and bolted inside. The Heartless presence was larger here, there weren't just shadows here... she saw Neoshadows as well, and her heart fluttered fearfully. She had rarely fought these things, and never in such numbers... there was at least a dozen of them, with several dozen shadows...

All pouring into...

Kairi let out a strangled cry. "The orphanage! _NO_!"

She didn't care about the danger anymore. She charged forward right into the mess of black creatures, swinging her sword out in a fury. She could hear it, one by one, the screams of children and their caretakers being awfully cut off one by one inside the building...

" _STITCH HELP_!" came a little girl's scream.

_Shatter_

Kairi looked up to see Stitch leaping out of a second story window with Lilo in it's arms, landing on the ground a ways away. Kairi was already moving, fighting through the shadows as the Heartless turned and made for the pair. More and more Heartless began pouring out of the orphanage... there were no more screams coming from inside...

Stitch set Lilo down and tuned, snarling viciously at the nearest Heartless, trying to scare it off. It did not attack however, it kept itself between Lilo and the Heartless protectively. Kairi burst forward, shoving past the Heartless, trying to ignore the painful claws that raked across her arms, legs, and back, and then ran past Stitch to pick up Lilo and bolt.

"Run Stitch!" she shouted.

They couldn't fight _AND_ protect the girl at the same time. They were going to get overrun. There... there was nothing left in the second district to fight for. She heard nothing but the shuffling of Heartless pursuing them. In less than ten minutes, the entire district had gone quiet, had been consumed. It left a feeling of utter horror and loss in the pit of her stomach.

She ran with the sobbing Lilo in her arms and burst into the third district, following the sounds of fighting. There, she saw Yuffie and Leon fighting the Heartless with Aerith supporting them with magic and healing. They were guarding a corner that contained a group of surviving civilians. Kairi ducked and weaved through the Heartless, Stitch following, as she finally closed the distance and deposited Lilo into the group. She joined her adoptive parents and their friend, finishing off the remaining Heartless in the district for the moment.

Yuffie fell down 'dramatically' to the ground and breathed with relief. "Whew... that was intense..."

Leon's eyes flickered to Lilo and Stitch, then to Kairi. "There was no one else?"

Kairi looked down, feeling ashamed and useless. "I... I just woke up to the screaming... I didn't get there in time... it all happened so fast... the Heartless wiped out the entire district so fast..."

Leon rubbed his eyes tiredly. "We weren't prepared for something like this, couldn't be prepared. I don't understand, why now? Why attack like this all of the sudden? It doesn't make sense."

Leon flicked on his radio. "Leon to _ALL_ Guardians, fall back to the third district, _NOW_! We're regrouping. Bring any civilians you can."

Kairi followed suit and turned her radio back on in time to hear Barret swearing, " _...mother fuckers took Biggs and Wedge from me! I ain't going till they're ALL dead!_ "

"What about Marlene?" demanded Kairi into the radio.

There was silence for a split second before he swore, " _Shit! Hold on baby girl!_ "

" _H-help! They're everywhere! I-I can't k-keep everyone safe by m-myself!_ " came Arthur's panicked voice.

Oh no... Arthur...

"Arthur, where are you?" demanded Kairi into her radio.

" _D-district fourty-three!_ " cried out Arthur.

Kairi bowed her head, her face paling, taking her hand off the talk button. "Dad... if all the districts are as bad as district two was... there's no way he can make it... there's no way anyone..."

"Hey now!" scolded Yuffie, sitting upright, "Don't talk like that! That little squirt's not half bad, he can make it!"

Leon nodded. "If he and the others have the will and strength, they'll make it."

Kairi hesitated for a moment. What would Master Aqua do...

It took her only a split second to make a decision and take off. "Hang on Arthur, I'm coming to help!"

"Kairi! Wait!" ordered Leon.

She was already gone, bursting into district four. Even going at top speed and not stopping to fight, it would take her at least ten to twenty minutes at full speed. Could Arthur hold out for so long on his own? Especially if he had to guard others? Could she...

Kairi yelped and tripped as her feet got tangled in something. She kicked her feet to free herself and glanced back before freezing... that long mat of severed hair on the ground it... looked like Rapunzel's... when she got it cut and it changed color... Kairi suckered in a breath and put on a burst of speed. One friend... one friend was one friend to many lost...

" _Beymax! NO!_ " came a cry over the radio, followed by the sound of sparks and a explosion.

Kairi's eyes went wide with horror. No way... not Bay... he was the most lovable machine that she... wait... Hiro didn't have Baymax anymore...

"Hiro!" called out Kairi over the radio, "What district are..."

Kairi froze up as a blood curdling scream followed by it abruptly being cut off was heard. She stood there in a horrified stupor until a shadow Heartless clawed at her leg, causing her to yelp, turn, and slice it in half. Her horror turned into pure, raw rage. She tore through the Heartless on a run, blitzing through one district after another. It wasn't fair! He had just been a boy barely younger than she was... and the robot... it...

She gave a frustrated roar of anger and swung her blade in an arc, unleashing a wave of light that obliterated all Heartless in her path. She sheathed her sword and bolted. She didn't even care about dodging the Heartless anymore as she crossed into the next district. She burst through groups and healed off any damage she took with the light, going on a full on sprint. She was in the thirties now, Sparrow's patrol for the night. She glanced around, but saw nothing but Heartless...

She didn't really like the guy, but..., "Sparrow! I'm in your area, you alive?"

" _I, fair maiden, am guardian the rum..._ ," began Sparrow.

"SERIOUSLY JACK?" she roared through her radio.

". _..cellar, I am guarding a rum cellar full of people, relax, savvy_?" said Sparrow, " _There's quite a bit of Heartless in the tavern above, I think we're going to stay down here until this... blows over._ "

Good enough for her. "Arthur, you still with us?"

There was silence.

Kairi clenched her fists and ground her teeth, again putting on a burst of speed, refusing to believe Arthur could be gone, her breath starting to go ragged with effort. She had great endurance for her age, but sprinting over thirty districts and constantly healing damage from the heartless was beyond even her. Finally, she entered the fortieth district. Three more to go.

When she finally arrived in district forty-three, she wasn't prepared for what she saw. Arthur was still alive, thankfully, but he was completely alone, and fighting a winged Heartless with a tail that twice that he was tall, with horns on its head, and a sword in it's hands. She had heard of these before but never seen them, Invisibles. They were said to be one of the strongest kind of normal Pureblood Heartless, it was something only the strongest of the Guardians could fight and hope to win against. But that it was here wasn't what shocked her, Arthur was, he was _FURIOUS_ , and fighting it head on without any fear evident, Excalibur singing through the air and clashing with the Heartless's sword. She had never seen the boy so mad before, he was usually so kind and carefree. She was half-tempted to just sit back and watch...

She shook off the thought and joined in, unleashing a pearl spell at the Invisible to throw it off-balance. That was all Arthur needed to slice Excalibur right through it's neck. The Heartless died in a puff of darkness, leaving Arthur there panting with exhaustion.

"You okay Arthur?" asked Kairi.

Arthur said nothing for a moment before giving a cry of anger and throwing his sword to the ground. "I couldn't save anyone! I'm not... I'm not worthy of the sword... I should have left it in the stone back in my home-world so someone better could take it..."

"Arthur...," she murmured quietly.

She glanced around, seeing that the distinct was surprisingly clear. "I dunno, it looks like you cleaned up pretty well."

When he did nothing but look at the ground, she walked over, adjusted his orange scarf, and dusted off the shoulder's of his red coat. "Come on Arthur, pick up your sword, we gotta go. There's more people who need our help. We can't let them down, can we?"

Arthur wiped his eyes on his sleeve, mumbled a, "No," and grabbed his sword.

Kairi clicked her radio. "Kairi and Arthur here in district forty-three, anyone alive nearby?"

Tifa's voice crackled in. " _Me and Cloud linked up with Barret and are working down from district seventy guarding a good chunk of people. Could use the help, we draw a big Heartless crowd_."

"Alright, we're on our way!" replied Kairi.

"Come on Arthur!" she cried out, taking a breath and running for the district.

Rather than just sprint, they slowly fought their way towards Tifa's group. The farther they got from the core districts, as if the forties weren't enough, the worse it got. This many Heartless, and the appearance of the stronger ones, was not supposed to happen...

When they fought to district fifty, Kairi saw why and how there we so many Heartless spreading so fast...

In the center of the district, was one of the giant manlike Heartless with wings and tendrils for hair with heart shaped holes in their chests from her dreams. It's fist was punched into the ground, creating a purple oozing portal from which dozens of shadow Heartless were climbing out.

"Is that... a Darkside?" whispered Arthur fearfully.

It matched the descriptions they had for one... but there had never been one in Traverse Town before...

She slowly shook her head. She had a hunch before this was over, every type of Pureblood Heartless would probably have gave them a 'visit'.

She clicked on her radio. "To Leon and all others, there are Darkside Heartless in Traverse Town, they can create portals for other Heartless to come through. We gotta clear them out or we'll be overrun!"

There was _FAR_ to much silence through the radio for her liking. "Leon? Anyone?"

" _We hear you_ ," came a grunt from Leon, " _Kind of busy_."

" _We can't do much to fight that kind of thing guarding civilians_ ," Tifa's voice crackled in.

Kairi waited a moment before asking, "Anyone else?"

Silence.

Kairi's hand trembled a bit. "Is anyone else alive out there besides our three groups and Sparrow's?"

Silence.

Kairi stared at the radio in her hand morbidly. "..."

Slowly, she lowered her hand and re-attached the radio to her hip before turning her head to glare hatefully at the Darkside. "Come on Arthur, we're killing this thing."

"D-do you think we can?" he asked.

"We have to, Tifa's group is going to have to pass through here," she said grimly.

She clenched her hands tightly over her sword, going two-handed, and rushed across the district, slicing through lesser Heartless on her way to the target. She went right for the portal, putting a foot right next to the icky goop, and drove her blade into the Darkside's wrist. That got it's attention, much to her chagrin, as it swept it's hand out of the portal and backhanded her with a hand almost as big as she was. She was sent flying and hit the ground, rolling and coming to a stop, groaning with pain.

"Kairi!" cried out Arthur.

He was there in an instact, Excalibur sweeping through the shadow heartless crawling for her. Kairi took a moment to sit up, hand going to her ribs. Felt like every damn bone in her body had been rattled by that hit. She suckered in a pained breath, focused her light to heal herself, and stood up. The Darkside had stood to it's full glory as well, towering over them. A massive sphere of purple energy appeared in the hole in it's chest, causing Kairi to sweat a little anxiously, that was a lot of energy...

Bolts of energy began to shoot out of the sphere at the two of them.

"Move!" cried out Kairi.

The missile hit where they had been and exploded, causing them to stagger. Another missile came at them, and again they barely dodged, throwing themselves to the ground in different direction at the resulting explosion. Then the third came, right for Arthur, who was struggling to shove a few shadow Heartless off him. The boy's eyes went wide, closing his eyes and holding his sword up defensively as the blast shot at him...

"Arthur!" she cried out, blitzing forward.

She was **_NOT_ ** losing another friend!

She threw herself in front of the way, pumped as much light as she could into her sword, and swung it at the blast, giving a roar of anger as she did.

_FLASH!_

Her sword exploded with blinding light, annihilating the blast of energy, destroying all nearby shadow Heartless and causing the Darkside to groan. Kairi shook her head and blinked furiously to try and get her vision back. When she did, she wasn't prepared to see what she was...

Her sword was gone...

In it's place was the Keyblade from her dream: _Oathkeeper_.

"Kairi, what is that?" whispered Arthur.

She stared at it. "The... Keyblade..."

She ought to have been happy, been thrilled, been ecstatic to see the promised Key in her hands, instead, she felt bitter. "Where was this when this all began?"

Maybe it was just her bitterness speaking for her, but, the Keyblade was light as a feather in her hands. It wouldn't have slowed her down, her short sword wasn't that heavy to her, but it still made a difference. She could have ran a _little_ faster. Maybe she could have gotten to Rapunzel and Hiro in time... maybe...

She was distracted from her bitterness when the Darkside swept it's claw along the ground, gathering a massive sphere of orange and black energy. It held it up into the sky and levitated it into the air where it exploded and began raining down small orbs of purple energy.

"Take the left side, I'll take the right," yelled Kairi, rushing to weave through the orb storm towards the Darkside.

Kairi closed the distance and leaped up, stabbing her Keyblade into the Darkside's arm. She could feel the energies of the blade bite into the Heartless in a way her sword, even bathed in light, never could. The Keyblade was _VERY_ effective against it. She wondered how much stronger the Keyblade would be if...

She dropped back to the ground and focused her energy, bathing her Keyblade in light, and swept it at the Darkside's leg. It went clean through in one stroke, her light hissing against it's darkness. Arthur followed her lead, hacking into the other leg, and then the Darkside tumbled over. However, it took it in stride, driving both of it's hands into the ground and creating two portals of darkness at once, from which, shadow Heartless began to continually pour out.

"Arthur keep the shadow's busy!" cried out Kairi, "I'll finish the Darkside off!"

While Arthur rushed to it's arms, planting himself between them and slashing at the shadows as they tried to scurry past, Kairi went for the Darkside's face. She tore into it with one keystroke after another, venting out all of her rage and sorrow that the last hour, if it had even been that long since this world went to hell, had wrought. With a final cry, she drove her Keyblade right through it's forehead. Lines of light began to crack down from it's body, originating from her Keyblade.

The Darkside exploded in a shower of black energy, sending Kairi and Arthur flying. The tumbled to the ground and groaned. They slowly rose to their feet, panting a it, before they dusted themselves off.

"Wow... we beat it...," whispered Arthur excitedly.

Kairi took a moment to relish in the fact that they had beaten such a strong Heartless, before her radio crackled to life and Tifa's panicked voice came through, " _The Heartless are coming at us harder then before, we're moving through district sixty, get your butts over here!_ "

Kairi and Arthur exchanged glances before taking off. Oathkeeper and Excalibur cleaved through the Heartless like butter, grim determination on their wielder's faces. The pushed through district by disctrict, cutting down Shadows and some neo-shadows here and there, until they finally reached Tifa's group in district fifty-eight.

It was a huge wave of relief to see Tifa, Cloud, and Barret still alive, in a triangle formation around a group of roughly ten terrified civilians, little Marlene included. Cloud had taken point, his massive sword plunging through shadow after shadow. Barret supported from the middle-left of the group, his gun arm releasing a spray of bullets this way and that. Tifa took up the rear, punting and hitting and shadows that tried to come up from behind.

Cloud gave the two of them a curt nod, pausing only to give Kairi's Keyblade a brief curious look, before speaking, "Pick a spot to cover and do so."

Kairi and Arthur separated to cover more of the civilians. Arthur took the the east point of the group, while Kairi decided to keep rotating around the points to help cover if needed.

She grabbed her radio and called in, "Leon, Arthur and I have linked up with Tifa's group, we're on our way back, how are you three holding up."

" _Fine_ ," cackled in Leon, " _Though, it's four. Stitch isn't that half bad for a runt._ "

Kairi raised an eyebrow at that.

She shook it off and focused. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

She attached the radio back to her hip and focused on guarding the civilians and helping out. It was slow, very slow progress, to move district by district like this. They couldn't full on run without risking something slipping through and attacking the civilians. Not to mention, they didn't have near the stamina or endurance that the Guardians did. They'd be on the ground panting before they were through sprinting five districts.

When the reached the thirty range of districts, Kairi pulled out her radio again, "Sparrow, you sure you want to sit it out in a cellar?"

" _I have every thing I need down here matey, a choke point, a lot of fair maidens cheering me on, and an endless supply of rum, ah the rum_ ," came Sparrow's slightly drunken sounding voice.

Kairi slowly shook her head and ran over to Cloud. "Sparrow wants to sit tight, we really going to leave him and the people he's guarding there?"

Cloud didn't seem to care. "His choice. We already have enough baggage to look over."

Kairi frowned at him but held her tongue. Innocent people were _NOT_ baggage. "Let's pick up the pace then."

Cloud nodded and called out. "Mosey people!"

It took roughly two hours to finally arrive back at district three and join groups. The civilians all meshed together in the corner of the district while the Guardians spread out in front of them, blocking any access. Shadows kept rushing to their deaths mindlessly, Neoshadows scattered here and there doing the same.

Kairi had noted that aside from the one Darkside and Invisible, she hadn't seen anything else yet. Her face fell at a grim thought: The stronger heartless were probably eating their way from the outskirt districts to the core ones...

A comforting hand landed on her shoulder, she glanced back to see Aerith giving her a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be fine Kairi, have hope. All of us together can make it through this. Not to mention, if that thing in your hand is what I think it is, we have a powerful new weapon."

Kairi allowed herself the briefest of smiles, the briefest of hopes at Aerith's words...

Before it died.

Kairi felt **_IT_**. She felt the presence, felt the thing devouring the outside worlds arrive. The awful sensation emanated from the first district, followed by a blue and black funnel of energy rising from that direction high into the air. Kairi had a horrific flashback, of her Grandma dying and her heart leaving her body towards the funnel.

"It's... it's happening again...," whispered Kairi, her body shaking.

She could already see them. See countless hearts now flying through the air towards the funnel, rather then being turned into Heartless. The presence was here... it was going to devour their world... she was going to lose another home...

The night grew worse than the one in her memories, for the presence was far more powerful than it had been ten years ago. The skies turned pitch black, and dark clouds filled the skies. Dark and Purple lightning crackled through the skies. The wind picked up, and a dark mist seemed to wash over the area, over the entire world. Kairi could feel the mist trying sap her strength, smother her light, and rob her of the will to fight...

From the first district came dark and glowing tendrils of darkness, looking almost like they were made out of compacted shadow Heartless. They snaked out around buildings and surged at the group.

Kairi raised her Keyblade defensively and shouted, "Look out!"

Most never saw it coming, those who did could barely shout out a word of alarm or raise their weapons. Each tendril pierced a body, extracting a glowing heart and pulling it back towards the funnel. The tendril that came for her slammed into the Keyblade, sent her reeling, but was repelled with a flash of light.

Kairi shook her head and rose to a knee, suckering in a horrified breath at the sight of the bodies of her friends, her family, fading away into darkness without their hearts to ground them. Leon... Yuffie... Arthur... Aerith... Tifa... Cloud... Barret... all the civilians... everyone who had already fallen... everyone was gone... she was all alone... in a night, everything had been robbed from her again...

The tendrils of shadow Heartless came again, but Kairi didn't care, she raised her Keyblade high into the air and gave a heart wrenching scream of anguish as they all surged at her.

_BOOOM!_

A pillar of light erupted around Kairi, from her body and Keyblade, shooting high into the air. It obliterated the tendrils, banished the dark mist around the third district, and punctured through the black clouds. It raced off into space before it exploded in a massive nova of light, like a beacon that could be seen across what was left of the stars.

Kairi fell to her knees, exhausted both mentally and physically. She just wanted to curl up and cry herself to sleep. But...

She heard it..

The shambling, the scraping of claws across pavement and wood.

She looked up and around, sighting the Heartless slowly creeping back into the district. The light had only temporarily banished the darkness, but just like in the dream it was coming back. It was far more than just shadows and Neoshadows coming for her now. She could see Invisibles slowly flying closer, Darkballs levitating in the sky, the sight of Darksides towering over the building tops. She could also feel **_IT_** , feel the presence. The funnel was gone, and she could feel _**IT** _ slowly drawing closer... **_IT_** was coming for her...

Just what the hell had been the point of the last ten years? Struggling so hard to survive and keep order. Keep people safe, banish the shadow, the Heartless. Only for it to end in hours, their defense washed over like they weren't even there...

She was going to die...

She was going to lose her heart and become one of these monsters...

Kairi rose to her feet, gripped her Keyblade tightly, and spoke bitterly, "Fine then, come and get me you bastards!"

So long as she took down as many as she could, so long as she could maybe even take a swing at _**IT**_ , she'd be as satisfied as she could be in this piss poor ending. If there was such a thing as an afterlife, she'd hope when she eventually run into Master Aqua, she could tell her she did her best...

They came.

They rushed for her, for her heart.

Kairi reached as deep into herself as she could and glowed with immense light, with righteous fury, swinging her glowing Oathkeeper in wide arcs. She had never felt her light awaken in the way it was now, pulsating through her body with a soft hum in the back of her mind. To little, to late in her mind. She had this light, but she didn't know how to truly use it except swing it along with her sword. Not that the method was inefficient. Her Keyblade cleaved through any Heartless it came in contact with and destroyed them in a single hit.

But even then, her blade could only be in one place at a time.

A scratch from a shadow on the back of her legs...

The raking of a Neoshadow's claw across her back...

A Darkball slamming into her and sending her reeling...

The slicing of an Invisible's blade along her arm...

Even with her light to heal her, her strength slowly began to fail. Her blade got slower, her light got dimmer...

_WHAM!_

A fist from a Darkside slammed into her, sending her flying as it sank into the ground and formed a portal for more shadow Heartless to come out from. Kairi skidded along the ground painfully, a strangled cry escaping her lips, her Keyblade sliding away from her along the ground, and her light fading. She laid there, shaking in pain, tears, and exhaustion as the darkness crept in, unable to move anymore...

" _LIGHT_!" came an unfamiliar boy's voice.

A blur surged out of the sky, and a brown armored figure landed in-front of Kairi, stabbing a black Keyblade into the ground. An explosion of light ripped out of where the Keyblade hit, sending all nearby nearby Heartless reeling back.

Kairi's eyes trailed the boy's Keyblade as he took it out of the ground. It had black wings with a silvery outline as it's handle. Connecting the handle to the blade portion of the Keyblade was a purple gem. The length of the blade itself was black, with silvery chain's appearing to be painted along it's length. The end portion was dark gray and spiked. The key portion was an elegant black filigree with a pointed tip. Hanging off the keychain of the bottom was a black crown.

"Sora you idiot! I don't care how bright that light was! **_IT'S_** here! You're going to get us killed!" came another boy's highly critical voice.

Kairi weakly looked up, sighting a silver armored boy on what looked like a floating motorcycle flying down to them, glaring through a visor at the brown armored boy. The armored boy, this 'Sora' didn't reply. 'Sora' tossed his black Keyblade into the air, and it transformed, turning into, of all things, what looked like a three seat boat. 'Sora' picked Kairi up, put her in the back of the 'Keyblade Boat' and then grabbed Oathkeeper off the ground and tossed it to the silver armored boy.

The boy caught it and exclaimed, "What...? She has a Keyblade?"

All three of them shivered as they felt _**IT** _ draw closer, it felt just outside the entrance to the third district. The darkness pressing in, the presence pressing against Kairi's light, it felt like a hand was on her throat, strangling her, making her vision dim.

'Sora' leaped onto the front of the boat and sat down, gripping the steering wheel and pressing a foot down. Both him and the silver armored boy shot into the air, fleeing as fast as they could.

The last thing Kairi thought she saw before she passed out, was a figure far below, staring up at her, that looked so much like Master Aqua...


	4. The Princesses

Kairi slowly came out an exhaustive, dreamless sleep, groaning, "Ugh..."

Sore... soreness everywhere...

Though, no pain...

She slowly opened her eyes, finding herself in a bed, under the covers, in an unfamiliar and rather plain room. "Where...?"

"Ah, awake at last dear," came a gentle voice.

Kairi turned her head to see a middle-aged woman sitting next to her bed in a chair. Her first instinct would have been to jump in surprise... yet... she felt so calm in the woman's presence. She was tall, in a full blue gown with a white opening around her coral bone. She had a gold necklace around her neck, a matching gold tiara on her head and long blonde hair. Her eyes were a kind blue, looking Kairi over with a soft smile.

Kairi felt... felt like she knew this woman somehow... she...

"A...aurora?" she questioned, not sure how she knew the name, bringing her hands up to her own lips afterwords in confusion.

The woman, Aurora, chuckled softly. "It is normal, for one Princess of Heart, to recognize another, though, that you know my name is curious."

Kairi looked at her, baffled. "Princess of Heart...?"

Aurora gave her a patient look. "You have not a clue, do you child, whom you are?"

Kairi frowned in thought. "The voice in that weird dream... on that mural... it called me that."

Aurora studied her curiously. "Oh? Would you care to tell me of it, child?"

"Well... I was falling through water towards a mural, I saw myself painted on it with a Keyblade..." Kairi began.

She froze. "Keyblade."

Everything came back to her at once. The dream. The night. The loss. Everyone dying. The final stand. The rescue.

Kairi bowed her head, tears streaming down her face, starting to hiccup. "T-they're all g-gone..."

Aurora was on the bed in an instant wrapping a comforting hand around her shoulder and leaning in to kiss her forehead before pulling Kairi's head to her shoulder. "Shhh child, shh."

Kairi couldn't stop herself from sobbing deeply into the woman's shoulder, as much as she didn't want to show that weakness infront of a stranger, even one as seemingly nice as Aurora. Her body wracked itself, her throat going tight and sore as minutes went by, she just couldn't stop seeing her friends and family having their hearts torn out in her head. Aurora gave a soft sigh and a brief glow of light emanated from her fingers. A minute later, the pattering of footsteps come to the door, and people walked in. She caught glimpses of other woman, and as each walked into the room, calmness washed over Kairi...

It felt...

Unnatural.

Her sobs stopped in moments, the effect these people apparently had on her scarred Kairi, and she couldn't help but look at them, and Aurora, with a hint of fear. "W-what are y-you doing to me?"

Aurora gave her a patient, if but sad look. "There is no reason to fear us child. We merely shared in your pain, distributed it amongst us to make it more bearable for you."

Kairi stared at her. What...?

"Each of us has lost a home, and those we cared for. We have learned how to suffer it well," explained Aurora, "Woe be it that it had to pass to begin with."

Kairi went silent, her eyes turning to eye the five woman watching her with sad expressions on their faces. "Who... are you all?"

The first of them was a woman slightly younger than Aurora. She had tied up blonde hair, and kind blue eyes. She wore a brown dress, with white sleeves, and an apron attached to the bottom of the dress.

She tilted her head and introduced herself. "I am Cinderella."

The next one bore similar clothes to Cinderella, except blue instead of brown. Her hair and eyes were brown, but still equally kind. She had a hunch that sensation of 'kindness' was shared among all of them. She had a blue ribbon tied up in the back of her hair.

She crossed her arms and smiled at Kairi. "I am Belle."

The next one was dressed the most revealing out of the group, a bit more than Kairi herself would have been comfortable with. She thought she had read about that kind of clothes or seen it in a store once, a bedlah? It, and the poofy pants she had on blue. She had rather large golden earrings on, almost hidden by her thick and long hair held back by a blue ribbon with a sapphire set in it. She had a golden necklace as well. Her kind, dark brown eyes regarded Kairi softly.

"Jasmine," was all she offered quietly.

The next was a young woman a bit older than Kairi was. She looked even more innocent, if but highly naive looking, than the rest. She had a long yellow skirt, a blue bodice top, and a red cape. Her black hair was shorter than the rest. Her brown eyes were no less kind than.

The woman tilted her head. "Snow White."

The final one was a girl a bit younger than Kairi was, maybe ten or so. She had on a blue dress and a white pinafore, her barely revealed legs showing white tights. She had long blonde hair with a black ribbon, and kind blue eyes.

She curtsied. "I'm Alice."

Kairi's gaze went back and forth between them all, mesmerized by them. This... feeling of _knowing..._ was utterly confusing her. She had never met a single one of them, yet, she felt as if she knew them all her entire life. Not to mention...

Her eyes went wide. "That's... a lot of light..."

Like... holy crap... she just felt it all of the sudden. The gathered light of all six of the others... it was _intense,_ but was also _sooooo_ warming. She almost felt the desire to just drift off into sleep in their presence.

Aurora chuckled. "You could say, child, it's a common trait of a Princess of Heart."

Kairi frowned at that term. "What _IS_ a Princess of Heart?"

Aurora explained softly. "Princesses of Heart are woman born with heart's of pure light, without darkness. There are always seven of us, no more, no less. If one of us should perish, another would be born to take her place. Our light... is to be honest, one of the last few things keeping the Realm of Light in existence anymore. So much of it has been drowned in darkness over the last decade."

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed. "No darkness...? That's not natural."

Aurora slowly shook her head. "Perhaps, perhaps not, but, it at least allows us to never suffer the fate of becoming a Heartless."

Kairi perked at that, a wave of pure, raw relief washing over her. "Well, guess I don't have a problem with being a 'Princess of Heart' then, if only for that."

She shot Aurora's dress a dirty look. "You're not putting me in one of those though, not on your life."

There was a collective laugh at that.

"So then child, will you tell us your name?" inquired Aurora.

"I'm Kairi," Kairi offered in response.

That, to her surprise, gave Aurora pause. She noted a number of the other princesses also giving her name thought.

"Oh, isn't that the name that Sora is always chasing after?" asked Alice.

Kairi blinked. "Sora?"

Aurora gave Kairi another once over. "Red hair, blue eyes, radiating light. It would appear the brief description he was given does fit."

"Wonder if he realizes he found her," mused Belle.

"Considering the smile on his face when he brought her in, he most likely suspects it," answered Jasmine.

Kairi gave them a perplexed look. "Umm... why was he looking for me?"

Aurora shook her head. "All he ever told us was that it was a mission he had been given when he was a small child. He asked each of us if we had seen someone matching that brief description when he first met us."

That... made even less sense to her than someone randomly looking for her.

Belle gave a small laugh. "Riku complains about him 'goofing off' in other worlds looking for you when he's out on assignment from the Masters."

Kairi separated herself from Aurora and sat up on her own. "Masters...?"

"You are in the Land of Departure, in the Princesses suite of the castle," explained Aurora, "We were all rescued and taken here during the fall of our worlds for safety by the Keyblade Masters."

Kairi gripped her blanket tightly and spoke bitterly, "So, they were just as late trying to save your worlds as they were mine."

Aurora sighed and gave her a patient look. "Kairi, there is nothing the Masters can do anymore, not against the darkness devouring the Realm of Light whole. That _thing_ is unstoppable, and unrelenting, it consumes everything in it's path, people and world's alike. It has gorged itself beyond measure. They cannot fight it anymore, they haven't been able to in years. If they were to face it, all they would do is feed their hearts to it and greatly empower it more than it already is."

"Then they're not real Masters as far as I'm concerned, I know Master Aqua could have stopped it before it became this strong," she said bitterly.

There was an immense, and heavy silence in the room all of the sudden. The unnatural calmness the other princesses radiated failed, revealing extreme unease.

"Kairi... how do you know that name?" asked Aurora, a bit of force and unease in her voice.

"Ten years ago, Master Aqua saved me, chose me, she promised she'd come back and teach me about myself, about light and darkness, about the Keyblade," Kairi whispered reverently.

Now the feeling of unease warped into awkwardness and felt uncomfortable. None of the Princesses, even Aurora, were looking at her anymore, each of them had found some corner or object to stare at.

Kairi looked at them in confusion. "What?"

When none of them responded, she grew annoyed. "Fine, whatever, and anyway, where's my Keyblade?"

Aurora pointed silently towards the nearby wall. Ah, there Oathkeeper was! An instinct took over her, and she held out her hand towards it. In a flash of light, the Keyblade disappeared and reappeared in her hand. It could do that?! Awesome... even if she lost her Keyblade, she could just call it back to her. She ran a hand over the Keyblade lovingly. Master Aqua's gift had finally come to her, even if it had come late, it was at last in her hands...

"A Princess of Heart as a wielder," mused Aurora, studying her, "I don't think there has ever been one before."

"Or as a fighter," said Belle, walking over and poking the little visible muscle on Kairi's arms, "Look at these!"

Kairi bated the woman's hands away. "Hey!"

Belle gave her a teasing smile. Kairi merely scowled in response. She could see why none of them were fighters. They were just... to girly for her... didn't look like they trained or fought at all. Did they even do basic exercising?

"Her light seems unusually strong for her age," pointed out Cinderella, "Neither Alice or Snow White, the two closest to her in age, are close to as strong as she is with it. To be honest, Aurora, you're the only one stronger than her with it, being eldest in all."

Aurora tilted her head in acknowledgement. "She's aligned her light towards combat and personal strength. Though, while it is strong, from what I can feel it is still very much unrefined."

"Well, it's not like I had anyone around to really teach me how to use it," muttered Kairi, "I kind of winged it. I can only do basic things consciously. The big stuff only comes out when I'm in danger, I don't really have control over it."

"Big stuff...?" questioned Jasmine.

"Umm... I wiped an entire district clean of Heartless a few years ago with a nova of light, and then last night...," she began before trailing off uncomfortably.

"I assume then that bright light far off in the night's sky was you," said Aurora, her eyes appraising Kairi in a new light, "We could see it all the way from our windows on this world."

Jasmine crossed her arms and frowned. "Wonder if I should have asked Aladdin to teach me how to use a sword when I had the chance..."

Aurora softly chuckled. "That option left us when we left our youth. Our light settled into what we are now, to try to temper it another way wouldn't have the results you'd seek."

Alice hesitated, looking uncertain and a little afraid. "W-what about me? I'm still young, am I going to have to learn how to fight? I don't want to..."

Aurora got off the bed and knelt down next to Alice. "No one should fight if they do not wish to, and if the Masters get any ideas for you by looking at Kairi, I'll set them straight on that matter. Understand?"

Alice looked relieved and nodded. "Yes, thank you!"

Kairi held back her tongue. If Alice could learn to fight and become strong enough to make a difference, in Kairi's opinion she should. But, it wasn't honestly her choice. Not to mention... she supposed Aurora was right, no one should be forced into a life they don't want to live.

Kairi pushed her blanket away and swung her legs off the bed, reaching down to massage a sore knee before closing her eyes and pouring a bit of light from her hands down into it. "Ahh... there we go."

"Still sore? We healed your wounds, but...," began Aurora.

Kairi waved it off. "It's fine, and thank you for that."

Aurora gave her a warm smile. "You're welcome."

Kairi repeated the process, putting a bit of warming light into her sore spots before standing up. "So... where are these 'Keyblade Masters'?

"Master Yen Sid sent word for the others to return when Sora brought you here, hopefully they will all be gathered in a few hours," said Aurora.

Kairi frowned. "Why gather them just for me?"

Aurora gave her a patient look. "You are the seventh and final Princess of Heart. That you have been found and brought to safety is a celebratory occasion. In addition, you are one chosen by the Keyblade, that would require them to come and meet you, to select a Master for you to learn from..."

Kairi narrowed her eyes. "Master Aqua is my master, no one else!"

Aurora looked uncomfortable. "Kairi... she..."

The eldest Princess of Heart trailed off, reaching a hand up to massage her forehead.

"She what?" demanded Kairi, starting to feel a little unsettled.

Aurora shook her head slowly, her eyes turning to give the other Princesses a warning look. "It's not for us to say. Ask the Masters."

Kairi had already accepted after hearing Stitch's words back in Traverse Town that something had happened to Master Aqua, that she was lost somewhere. But... to hearing her fate being skirted around like this was making he legs feel like jello and her stomach twist. She was starting to get the feeling whatever had happened to her master was a lot worse than being lost. It scared her...

"Fine, whose currently here? You mentioned a Yen Sid?" asked Kairi, brushing away her growing anxiety.

"Master Yen Sid is a... retired Keyblade Master, he still advises and aids the active Masters with his wisdom and magic," explained Aurora, "He relocated his tower to the Land of Departure for safety with his magic some years ago."

"I believe Master Eraqus is present as well," chimed in Belle, "Otherwise, it's just the two boys. Master Terra, Master Ventus, and Master Mickey are currently elsewhere."

Terra. Ventus as in Ven...

Those were the two names Stitch had given her, the friends the little blue creature had said were looking for Aqua ten years ago. Well... if they were Aqua's friends, maybe she was being a little dismissive. She could probably learn a thing or two from them.

"Who is Eraqus?" asked Kairi, shifting focus.

"Master Eraqus was the steward of the Land of Departure before passing the mantel to Master Terra. He was the teacher and Master of Terra, Ventus... and Aqua," explained Aurora.

Kairi's eyes went wide. The master of her master?! Woah... she had never even considered it, but, Master Aqua _DID_ have to have been taught to wield a Keyblade by someone. Now _THIS_ guy, she had to meet, she'd be more than willing to learn from him!

"Where is he at the moment?" asked Kairi eagerly.

"Scolding his two wards for breaking procedure," said Aurora with amusement.

Kairi frowned. "Does this 'breaking procedure' have anything to do with saving my life?"

There was a twinkle in Aurora's eye. "Perhaps."

Ah great... he was probably just as stuck up and strict as Leon was. But, like Leon, he'd probably be an excellent teacher. Tsk.

A mischievous smile spread across Kairi's face. "Well, I suppose I ought to go 'rescue' my rescuers then. Can you take me to them?"

Aurora glanced at the bed. "You should take the time to rest while you can Kairi."

She shook her head. "No thanks, just take me to them."

"I have a feeling you're going to be a rather stubborn addition to the Land of Departure, aren't you?" asked Aurora with amusement.

Kairi rolled her eyes and made for the door. "I'll find them myself if you don't want to take me."

"Alright alright," said Aurora before turning to the other princesses, "That will be all dears, I assume the Masters will call for us at some point in regards to Kairi."

With that, Aurora left, and Kairi followed out behind her...


	5. Bittersweet Meetings

Kairi followed Aurora down a hallway and a long set of stairs before coming out to a large main room with three thrones. One of the thrones was occupied with an older man scolding two boys in front of him.

The older man looked on the older side of middle age, leaning towards fifty or sixty. His clothes were unusual for her to see, she could recall only ever seeing a few people in Traverse Town with anything like them. He had a white, red lined haori with a hood over a blue shirt with a white X on it. Connecting the two halves of his clothes was a bit of armor, along with a symbol on it that she recognized from Aqua's clothes, the one that connected her pink stripes. His bottom half was a white, or a very light tanned hakama, his armored boots sticking out from underneath it. His black hair was tied in a short topknot, with one bang hanging close to his eye. And speaking of his black eyes, or rather, eye, he had a scar going over but not hitting his right eye. His left eye was completely closed, a jagged scar mark there permanently closing the wound. His face was rather hardened, a mustache and small patch of hair above his chin.

She could also feel the raw strength and light the man exhibited. Considering his age, power, and position of sitting on a throne, she figured he was Eraqus.

Her eyes drifted to the two boys standing before the Keyblade Master...

The first had hair that could make Cloud jealous. Brown, messy, and super spiky. His eyes were blue, kind, yet holding a level of seriousness hidden underneath. He had that same white haori as Eraqus, except it was lined black instead of red. Underneath however was a different story, a different style altogether. He had instead, a dark red shirt with a white zipper going all the way down to his pants. The zipper was the same symbol she had seen on Aqua and Eraqus. His bottom was baggy, and stopped at his knees. On his hands were two white finger-less gloves with a blue buckle wrapped around them, that same symbol, one she was starting to think had something to do with the Keyblade, on the top of the gloves. She also noticed a brown piece of armor seeming to be attached to his shoulder with a button on it.

The boy currently had his hands help behind the back of his head, a soft smile on his face despite the scolding he appeared to be getting. He seemed to be peaceful, and completely at ease. Kairi could feel a good chunk of light and inner strength emanating from this boy. And underneath that... she could feel the raw strength of his heart.

The boy next to the brown haired one bore silver hair down to his neck. His eyes were a serious blue, his face calm but focused. He bore a tight yellow sleeveless shirt with a brown X shape coming down from the collar. He had rather strong arms for someone his age she noted. His bottom half bore a blue hakama, connecting his two halves was a belt with that Keyblade symbol again. On his hands he had black gloves, a little below his wrists, brown bands.

The boy stood strictly at attention, betraying nothing of what he was feeling. While Kairi could feel an inner strength to the boy, she was actually surprised to see that her senses were blocked. He had so strict a control over himself and her power she couldn't gauge it. Interesting...

She refocused on Eraqus as he spoke to the brown haired boy, "...and furthermore Sora, while you are to be commended for rescuing the final Princess of Heart, that you so readily disobeyed our orders, dove into a world in the middle of being consumed, and came so close to the Leader of the Heartless, I am readily disappointed. You have the means to contact us at will thanks to Master Yen Sid, did it not occur to you to check in with us first? Ask for our permission or guidance?"

"Not really," admitted Sora cheerfully, "We cut it pretty close as it was. If I had waited, she wouldn't be here now."

Eraqus rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Sora, your impulsiveness is going to get you killed one day..."

Sora smiled at the older man, but wisely, in Kairi's opinion, didn't say anything. There came a point when one couldn't really say anything in one's defense, even if they were right, without digging their own grave.

Eraqus slowly smiled back. "What are we going to do with you my boy?"

"I dunno," said Sora cheekily.

Okay, there went her praise on being wise, bad move.

Eraqus raised an eyebrow. "Well, I can think of double chores for a few weeks being a good start."

Sora winced. "Yes Master."

Kairi decided to make her entrance, "I don't really think that's necessary."

The three wielders turned to glance at her in suprise as she and Aurora walked to them.

Eraqus frowned. "Should she not be resting?"

Aurora gave him a patient look. "She appears to be a bit as stubborn as your boy here."

Sora shot Kairi a grin at that. She ignored it.

Eraqus eyes flickered to Kairi, and then her Keyblade. "Is there a reason you are walking around with Keyblade drawn?"

Kairi stared at him blankly. "Uh... we'll I don't have a sheath or anything for it."

Sora and the other boy masked a bit of laughter, she shot a glare at them. "What?"

Sora summoned his Keyblade out of nowhere, and then made it disappear. "Just dismiss it."

Kairi blinked a few times, glancing down at her Keyblade. Okay... well that was different from normal weapons. But, how the hell was she supposed to do that? She frowned at her Keyblade and thought: ' _Umm go away_ '.

Nothing.

' _You're dismissed_?'

Nothing.

Eraqus cleared his throat. "Will it away, imagine your hand clear of the Keyblade, and it will vanish until called for."

_FLASH_

Kairi stared at her now empty hand, clenching and unclenching it. "Hmm."

She gave a half bow to Eraqus out of respect. "Thank you sir."

She shot Sora and the other boy a brief glare again before righting herself. She might be thankful for them saving her life, but like hell was she going to just let them laugh at her. Wasn't her fault she _JUST_ got the thing.

"Child, how long have you had your Keyblade for?" inquired Eraqus, "That is generally one of the first things a Wielder learns, even without an instructor showing them."

"Um... about three hours or so before they took me from my world," she answered honestly, "So less than a day."

Eraqus nodded slowly. "I see."

"Wahoo, I'm not the newest apprentice anymore!" said Sora cheerfully.

Kairi shot him an irritated look. She didn't know if it was intentional or not, but she was starting to get a little aggravated with him.

"Well, you are until someone chooses to train her, so until then, you're still rock bottom," teased the silver haired boy.

"D'aww," said Sora, sheepishly scratching his head.

Eraqus cleared his throat. "Sora, Riku, if you will be silent for a moment and allow me to question our guest."

Kairi did her best to mask a smile at his polite phrasing of 'shut up'.

"There are many questions I have for you young one, but first, I suppose it is polite for us, and you, to officially introduce ourselves. I am Master Eraqus, former steward of the Land of Departure and current adviser to Master Terra, the current steward of our home," offered the older man.

Sora waved. "I'm Sora! Apprentice extraordinaire! I kind of share being the apprentice of Ven and Mickey, or Eraqus when they're both gone."

Riku tilted his head curtly. "Riku, Master Terra's apprentice."

"I'm Kairi," she began, "I am m..."

She barely got her name out before Sora whooped. " _I KNEW IT!_ "

Before she could react, Sora had her arms in his grip and was dancing around in a circle with her, laughing happily. What the hell was with this guy?!

"Let go!" she exclaimed, trying to pull her arms away.

Sora either didn't care or didn't hear, still happily laughing and dancing.

Okay, _THAT'S IT_!

_WHAM_

Kairi planted her foot into his chest and kicked him back and to the ground, pulling her hands friends. "Paws off!"

Sora winced and rubbed his stomach. "Owww, what was that for?"

She had way to much crap happen to her in the last twenty-four hours to deal with this at the moment, she exploded. "Just because you saved my life doesn't give you the right to go all touchy feely on me! I'm _NOT_ that kind of girl!"

Sora stared at her blankly. "Huh?"

"And Sora isn't that kind of guy!" defended Riku, a little angry and stepping forward.

"Enough!" barked Eraqus.

They all froze as Eraqus stood and stepped away from his throne, an intently displeased look on his face. "Sora, Kairi, this is no way to behave in the house of the Keyblade Masters! Sora, we have all told you before to mind your emotions. Kairi, assaulting one of the people whose house you reside in is no way to deal with an uncomfortable situation. Both of you, apologize to one another, now."

"Sorry," they both murmured, neither please to have Eraqus take that tone with them.

Eraqus nodded curtly and sat back down on his throne. Kairi _HIGHLY_ preferred him sitting there instead of in their faces angry. That guy was scary when angered, Leon had _nothing_ on that.

Eraqus looked to Kairi. "Now, to continue. I am curious Kairi, did anyone by chance have you touch their Keyblade when you were younger?"

Kairi nodded and spoke matter-of-factually. "Of course, my master did when I was four."

Eraqus blinked a few times. "Your master?"

"Master Aqua," answered Kairi.

An intense silence, so similar to the one the Princesses had given her, filled the room. Sora had a look of open surprise on his face. Riku looked startled. Eraqus... she couldn't quite place what he was feeling. There was a wave of emotions that played across his face so fast that it was hard to make sense of. Sadness, anger, grief, disbelief, and more.

Eraqus was however the first to recover from his surprise and narrow his eyes. "Explain."

"When I was four, about ten years ago, a bunch of monsters attacked me. Master Aqua came and saved me," answered Kairi.

Eraqus closed his eyes and rubbed his temple with two fingers. "And then she simply decided to preform the inheritance ceremony on you?"

Kairi hesitated, wondering if she should say what happened to her master, then again, Eraqus was her master's master. "Master Aqua had entered the fight already badly hurt, not physically, but in her heart. It was badly damaged. She collapsed towards the end of the fight. I uhmm... kind of blew up the rest of the monsters with a burst of light."

Eraqus frowned in thought. "The Xehanort Reports did mention he cracked her heart..."

A chill ran down Kairi's spine. "Xehanort? Was that the old bald man with creepy yellow eyes?"

Eraqus went very still. "You've seen him?"

Kairi shook her head. "No, I just saw his face when I healed Master Aqua's heart."

Eraqus stared at her silently for a moment before he slowly rose to his feet, walked over, and knelt down in front of her. "Explain."

"I wanted to help her, I went from trying to wake her up, to failing through an ocean towards a broken mural of her. I didn't accept until later that it was her heart, and it had been cracked and was ripping apart. I spoke with a younger version of her there, she said something about digging to deep when fighting a boy in a mask if I remember correctly. I just... well... when that younger Master Aqua vanished and it started to really rip apart, I just aimed my hands at the cracks, hit it with light, and made it better," answered Kairi as honestly as she could.

A softness entered Eraqus's face. "You did well Kairi, especially as a child, to care for one of my lost students."

He closed his eyes. "What happened when she awoke?"

"We talked for a little bit, I said I wanted to become a hero like she was, she asked if I was sure, when I said yes, she had me hold her Keyblade, and promised me to come back and train me," answered Kairi before frowning.

She spoke quietly, "Where is she?"

Eraqus slowly opened his eyes. "..."

She glanced around, noting that Sora was averting his eyes, and Riku was simply staring at her with an emotionless face. "Well?"

Eraqus slowly stood up and returned to his throne. "The best answer I can give to that, is lost to shadow."

Her eyes furrowed. "What is _THAT_ supposed to mean?"

Sora spoke up quietly, "You... know of the Leader of the Heartless, right?"

"If your talking about **_IT_** , talking about the presence, then yeah, who _CAN'T_ feel that thing?" she muttered.

Sora hesitated, looking to Eraqus, who gave a brief shake of his head, making Sora lick his lips. "I... didn't understand myself until much later, but, in... a sense... you could say Aqua..."

"Master Aqua," corrected Kairi.

"Master Aqua," said Sora, "Was the first to fall to the Leader of the Heartless, the first to be consumed."

Kairi froze, staring at Sora blankly.

Master Aqua...

She...

She was...

Kairi couldn't take it, she turned and bolted, ignoring their surprised cries. She ran out of the keep, unable to control her sobs, ran up a mountain path, to a summit with a large tower at the end. She sat down against a rock, brought her legs up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and cried.

She had figured something had happened to Master Aqua, but not _THAT_ , anything but that. It wasn't fair! **_IT_ ** had taken everything from her! Her Master, her grandma, her home, her second home and all her friends and family. _IT WASN'T FAIR_!

 ** _IT_**...

 ** _IT._**..

Kairi trembled, her eyes narrowing, her fists clenching, her light furiously radiating off her. "If it is the last thing I do, I am going to _KILL_ **_IT_**. Kill the Leader of the Heartless."

She sat there in a mixture of fury and misery, struggling to contain herself. She wanted to go back and demand they start training her to wield a Keyblade immediately, but her legs felt like jello. She couldn't bring herself to stand up and go...

"I didn't take it much better than you are," came Sora's voice.

Kairi turned her head to look up at the boy walking over to her and spat out bitterly, "Oh really? You weren't waiting ten years for her to come back for you, now were you?"

Sora shrugged. "Ten years? No, I learned what happened a bit before then, but, she was the one who performed the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony on me, I had wanted her to train me too."

Kairi stared at him, baffled, "She chose you?!"

Sora looked slightly hurt for a moment before banishing it and sitting down next to her. "She did, though, she had a special request before she did."

"What?" demanded Kairi.

"You, she told me she promised to train and protect you, but if she couldn't be there for her, that she wanted me to keep you safe for her," answered Sora sadly.

Huh... so that's why he had been looking for her...

"Well... you fulfilled your promise to her...," muttered Kairi.

Sora grinned. "Nah, not yet. The Leader of the Heartless and Xehanort are both still out there. Until we find a way to deal with them, my promise isn't kept yet. You're stuck with me for awhile."

Kairi scowled at him before pausing. "Xehanort..."

The one who hurt her Master... who had left those cracks in her heart... was still alive?

"He's not as dangerous or as powerful as the Leader of the Heartless, but, he's a crafty old bastard," muttered Sora, looking slightly angry, "He's the one who took my home from me, from Riku too. He's to much of a coward to ever fight us head on though. Always hangs back and let his fake Heartless do the work for him."

"Fake Heartless...?" questioned Kairi.

"Uh, the Emblem Heartless I mean," explained Sora, "I mean, I guess they're not that fake, but, they don't occur naturally, only through whatever method Xehanort uses to create them."

"Well... guess there was two enemies for me to destroy then," she muttered angrily.

Sora stared at her silently for a moment before scratching his head. "Ya know, I don't wanna sound rude, but, you're really not how I expected you to be."

Kairi shot him a glare.

"Especially as a _princess_ , boy that boot to my stomach hurt," he said with a grin on his face.

"Call me a ' _princess_ ' like that again and I'll show you real hurt," she said, shaking a fist at him.

Sora just laughed.

This guy... was _WAY_ to cheerful. It just didn't seem natural to her. It was actually kind of off-putting to her. There was so much suffering out in the world, hell, her own world with it's thousands of people had just been consumed, and here he was smiling and laughing. Did nothing phase this guy?

She looked up at a sound and squinted her eyes, sighting two people on what looked to be more of those Keyblade vehicles coming out of the sky and towards the keep. "Whose that?"

"Looks like Terra and Ven," said Sora happily, "Good to see them back safe and sound."

"Well, if they're Masters, it shouldn't be that dangerous for them out there," she muttered.

Sora frowned. "Well, maybe not most of the time. But... if any of us runs into the Leader of the Heartless, it gets bad really quick. We can't fight it anymore, the last time we tried was with all six of us at once with Yen Sid supporting a few years back. We got our butts handed to us. If Yen Sid didn't know how to teleport, we wouldn't be standing here right now."

"When was the last time you ran into it?" asked Kairi.

Sora paled a little bit. "Uh... about a year ago. It didn't really pay me much attention, it was to busy 'feeding' off a world, it just sent it's Ravager to try and kill me. Boy is that thing scary, it's grown in strength just as she did."

"She...?" questioned Kairi.

Sora winced. "Uhm..."

There was another sound up in the sky, and Kairi looked up to see, of all things, a Keyblade Steamboat flying through the air.

Sora stood up, a wide grin on his face. "Aha! Mickey's back!"

"The... mouse? Right?" asked Kairi.

Sora nodded. "Yep. Mickey Mouse, my primary teacher. He's awesome."

Primary... that's right...

"Sora, why do you have multiple Masters?" asked Kairi.

Sora shrugged. "I'm kind of a jack of all trades, or so Yen Sid likes to say. I'm not the best at any one thing, not like Terra and Riku are in raw strength, or Eraqus is in light, or Ven is in speed. I'm pretty good at a lot of different fighting styles. Ven say's I'm going to be an awesome Master one day!"

"Hmm... wonder what I'll be good at," she murmured.

"Well, if that huge light nova in the sky was any indication, prooooobably light," said Sora with slight sarcasm.

Kairi shot him an irritated look. "Well, as long as I can hold it over _you_ , then that works for me."

"Aww come-on, I said I was sorry," said Sora, pouting, "I was just really glad to finally find you. I've been looking for years ya know."

"Hmph," was her reply.

"C'mon Kairi, turn that frown upside down!" he said cheerfully.

"I'm going to throttle you," she replied coldly.

Sora merely grinned in response. "Only if you catch me! _Princess_."

 _OH_! That little shit!

Sora bolted, and Kairi took off after him in fury...


	6. Appraisal

Kairi and Sora walked into the keep of the Land of Departure, Kairi with a proud face, Sora with a Kairi fist sized welt on his forehead. Riku was waiting by the bottom of the steps and held up a hand for them to stop.

"The Masters are talking privately upstairs about our 'guest'," said Riku, giving Kairi a pointed look, "Wait a bit."

Kairi crossed her arms and moved to lean against the nearby wall. "Fine."

Riku raised an eyebrow and looked at Sora's head. "What happened to you?"

Sora gave Kairi a cheeky grin. "I didn't run fast enough."

Kairi rolled her eyes, but didn't respond.

Riku slowly shook his head and mirrored Kairi, leaning against an opposite wall and waiting. Sora sat down on the steps and began to fiddle with his gloves. None of them said anything for awhile.

"So, Riku, what's your Keyblade?" Kairi decided to ask.

Riku held out a hand, and a rather plain looking Keyblade flashed into existence. Yellow handle, steel blade, an actual key-shaped key portion of the keyblade, but nothing extravagant. The keychain on it's bottom almost looked like a mouse head of all things.

"It's the Kingdom Key," said Riku, slowly running a hand down the length of the blade.

Kairi studied it for a moment. "Huh..."

Riku scowled at her. "Doesn't need to be something fancy. We're Keyblade Wielders, we safeguard the worlds from the darkness, nothing more, nothing less."

Kairi nodded. "Fair enough."

She glanced briefly at Sora. "What was yours called?"

"Oblivion," he answered, briefly summoning and then banishing his Keyblade, "And yours?"

"Oathkeeper," she answered, "Though... I'm really not sure how the name came to me, it was during that weird dream that..."

"We don't talk about those," interrupted Riku.

Kairi blinked a few times. "Huh?"

"The dreams that a wielder has before they awaken their Keyblade, or before a great change to themselves happens, is for that wielder, and that wielder alone," explained Riku seriously, "They are sacred things, a dive into the depths of one's heart, we do not discuss them with one another."

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed. "That's... dumb... why the hell not?"

Riku shrugged. "It's the way things are. Personally, I'd rather not talk about them anyway."

Stupid, who cares it it was against some 'rule'? She was still confused on half the things she heard and saw in that dream, and she felt it was important. She would have appreciated having someone to talk it through with. Arthur wouldn't have hesitated to sit down and help her figure things out. But... those she had come to trust and count on over the years were gone. All she had now were these apprentices and their masters, and she didn't personally know much about them. Riku and Eraqus seemed fairly serious, and Sora was on a permanent happy pill or something. Who knows what the others were like?

"Sora, Riku, escort our 'guest' to the thrones," called down Eraqus from above.

Finally!

Kairi didn't wait for Sora or Riku to 'escort' her anyway. She took to the steps and walked up ahead of both of them. There, at the top, were all four of the Keyblade Masters, three on the thrones, Eraqus standing next to them on the left.

On the right throne sat a whom Kairi could only assume was Mickey Mouse. He was, of course, a humanoid mouse. Big black ears, just round black eyes, and an almost adorable black nose, almost because she refused to admit it aloud. He was dress in a red undershirt and pants, with a black and white overcoat with two gold buttons. He had pure white gloves on his hands.

On the left throne sat a young man, in his early or mid twenties. His hair faintly reminder her of Clouds, spiky and blond. His eyes were blue, kind, yet hardened for someone with such a soft and pleasant face. His clothes were a whole mess of designs. White on one half, black on the other, crossed by a black cloth with the Keyblade symbol. On his arm was a piece of armor with a button on it. His lower half was a mixture of light and dark gray, cut in half and looking like they were pieced together. He had armored steel boots on. The last thing she noted was a checkered black and white band slightly below his wrist.

On the middle throne was a tall and powerfully built man. Brown hair, masked blue eyes, betraying almost no emotion. Almost, because she was a faint hint of recognition in his eyes. To be frank... he seemed vaguely familiar, as if she had seen him once before.. He bore a tight black high-collared shirt with a red X on it. Like Riku, or maybe Riku was dressed like him, he had a brown hakama with golden armored boots sticking out of the bottom. His belt was dark grey, connecting the two parts, a gold version of the Keyblade symbol on it. On his left shoulder was a plate of gold armor with a button on it. Down that same arm was an armored gauntlet, covering him all the way up to, but not including, his fingertips. His other arm simply had a black sweatband on it below his wrists.

The middle one, by far, emanated the most raw power between all the gathered Keyblade Masters. The young man to the right emanated the second most, followed closely by Mickey and Eraqus. Kairi was actually rather surprised the young man felt stronger than Eraqus. Still though... her eyes trailed back to the middle one, staring at him, trying to piece together where she had seen him before...

The middle man spoke, "Welcome, Kairi, Princess of Heart and Keyblade Wielder, to the home of the Keyblade Masters, the Land of Departure."

That voice...

Kairi frowned. Where had she heard that voice before?

The man saw her expression. "Is something the matter?"

"Have... we met before?" asked Kairi.

He nodded slowly. "Briefly, in Radiant Garden before it fell. To be honest, I had thought you were lost to darkness with the rest of the world."

Kairi tensed, her eyes narrowing slightly. It was him. That man. The one to slow to save her grandma...

She closed her eyes and tried to force away her anger. It wasn't fair to him to think like that. He had tried to save grandma, and had gotten Kairi to Leon and Yuffie.

"Kairi?" questioned the man.

She cleared her throat and opened her eyes. "What happened, that day?"

The man sighed heavily. "I fought the Leader of the Heartless, and lost."

So, even back then, on the first day **_IT_ ** had appeared, this man hadn't been able to make a difference...

Kairi brushed aside the bitter thought and simply nodded. "I see."

The man rested his hands in his lap. "It is good, to see another of Aqua's chosen ones, with us here today. Albeit, perhaps ten years to late..."

"Ah come on Terra, don't start that kind of talk again," chided the younger man.

The middle one, Terra, shot the younger one an amused look. "Sorry Ven, forgot."

So, these were Terra and Ven, Master Aqua's friends... and Eraqus her master... how did the Mouse fit into this equation? She turned her head towards him curiously.

Mickey smiled at her. "Hiya, I'm Mickey! Nice to meet ya Kairi!"

Well, he seemed friendly enough. "Hello, are... you one of Master Eraqus's former apprentices too?"

Mickey shook his head. "No, I trained under Master Yen Sid."

So, just an ally then...

_POP_

Kairi had to forcibly resist the urge to jump as an elderly man in a full body blue robe with a pointed hat and a king gray beard appeared next to Mickey's throne in a puff of magic. "My apologies for my tardiness."

Mickey turned his head. "Master Yen Sid, meet Kairi!"

The old man titled his heard courteously, but said nothing, studying her with interest.

So that was Mickey's Master huh... he sure reeked of magical strength. Even with how old he looked, she figured he was no joke. It was hard to imagine, with all five of them plus the other two apprentices helping, that this group could lose. Yet... even with their light here, even with the light of the Princesses of Heart, she could still feel _**IT's**_ presence, out their devouring the worlds...

She had a lot of work to do if she was going to tip the scales, she wasn't anywhere near any of the master's level, and even with her own training plus Leon's the other two apprentices were probably ahead of her too.

"Kairi," began Terra, "I know Eraqus asked you about your inheritance ceremony, but, there are still more things we as a whole would like to ask you."

Kairi frowned. "Okay, but, can it be quick? I want to start training immediately."

Eraqus chuckled. "Young and eager, I can only faintly recall those days myself."

Terra crossed his arms, studying Kairi. "That was one of the things I did plan to ask you at the end. Is the path of a Wielder truly one you wish to walk? You could stay here, safe within these walls with the other Princesses of..."

"No thanks," cut off Kairi immediately and with heavy disdain.

Terra raised an disapproving eyebrow, the other master's following suit.

Eraqus cleared his throat. "Respect, is something that should be given without question within these halls, young one."

"Sorry," murmured Kairi.

Terra cleared his throat. "Apology accepted, now, where exactly have you been these last ten years?"

"I awoke in Traverse Town after Radiant Garden fell to darkness, the two people you handed me to, Leon and Yuffie, adopted and raised me," said Kairi.

Terra had a blank look on his face. "Traverse Town..."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "It figures I suppose."

Kairi stared at him with confusion.

Ven explained, "We don't focus our efforts on the worlds in the Realm Between. While they're pretty close to the Realm of Darkness, the Leader of the Heartless never went for them, it was always out in the Realm of Light eating worlds. Most worlds in the Realm Between were impacted far less than the worlds of the Realm of Light."

Kairi pursed her lips at that. "With all due respect, that is untrue."

Ven had a skeptical look on his face. "Is it? Whenever I pass one of the between worlds, I've never felt the raw amount of darkness that plagues the worlds of light."

"We might have not hard armies of Heartless at our doorstep until it fell, but, we had our share of our own problems. I don't know about any of the other 'between worlds', but, Traverse Town is a world of refugees. Whenever any world in the Realm of Light fell, refugees would arrive there. Each and every world that fell to the Heartless impacted my home. We had new districts being formed by our world every other day to accommodate the endless flow, they were in the hundreds. Do you know how hard it is to safeguard that many people? How hard it was to feed them, house them, and maintain some kind of order when most of the populace would stab you for a piece of bread?" she said coldly, thinking of Aerith.

Ven stared at her silently, a conflicted look on his face.

"All the worlds are suffering, in one form or another," said Yen Sid, "Allowing ourselves to bicker because of it is pointless."

Kairi curt tailed a retort. She wasn't bickering, she was merely making a point.

There was a minute of silence, before Terra broke it, "What kind of training have you had, up to this point?"

"I was trained by my father to wield a sword. My mother taught me how to use daggers, shurikens, and uh, 'dirty fighting', among other things," she admitted, not willing to go into the thievery side of what Yuffie had taught her.

"Dirty?" inquired Terra with amusement.

Kairi shrugged. "If a guy tries to get to touchy feely or corners you, a good kick between the legs does the trick. I know from experience it works wonders."

Ven bristled. "Tss. People ought to keep their hands to themselves."

Kairi made a pointed look at Sora, who merely gave her a sheepish grin and a shrug in response.

"That wasn't the same as what you were talking about!" said Riku on his friend's behalf.

Eraqus loudly cleared his throat, silencing them.

Terra had a frown on his face, his eyes dancing back and forth between the three young apprentices. "Hmm."

He held back whatever was on his mind and instead asked, "What about magic? And your powers with light?"

Kairi frowned. "I don't like using magic. I prefer to be right up in a battle, not hiding back like a coward while other's fight."

Yen Sid raised a very disapproving eyebrow at that. "Ignoring that magic can be used within close proximity, a wielder of magic is not a coward. They merely chose to fight in ways different from a warrior. To limit your understanding and experience because of a narrow minded viewpoint is unbecoming and foolish."

Kairi opened her mouth to retort before Sora coughed and shook his head.

"So, you have no experience with magic then?" asked Terra.

"My father tried to get me to learn cure at least, but, I can heal with my light so I didn't need it," she answered.

Terra rubbed his eyes. "You're going to be quite a bit behind then Kairi. Yen Sid is right, magic is an important part of battle. It's gotten all of us out of our fair share of troubles."

"Or into them," teased Ventus.

"Not helping Ven," scolded Terra.

Ventus gave him a cheeky grin, one that reminded her way to much of Sora's.

"What about the light? That explosion in the sky yesterday sure was impressive," said Mickey.

Kairi went silent. She might have readily confessed to the Princesses, but telling the masters about her lack of real skill with the light was a bit of an unsettling notion. It was painful to realize just how much she lacked in comparison.

"I can coat my Keyblade in light, I can cast a 'pearl' spell, and I can heal," she said evenly.

Terra waited for a moment, as if expecting her to continue, before frowning. "That's... it?"

She merely nodded, averting her eyes to the ground.

"How exactly did you do that explosion in the sky then?" inquired Terra.

"It just happens, when I'm in extreme situations, or really mad, my light kind of just explodes out," she answered, "I don't really have a control of what happens, it just, well, happens."

Eraqus nodded slowly. "We will have much work to do to help temper your light into a more usable form them."

Magic, strike one. Light, strike two. Thankfully, there wasn't something to be a three held against her...

"I would like to see you spar, to judge your swordsmanship," said Terra.

Ah... there was three...

Well, maybe, it was just a spar...

"Okay, who am I sparring with?" she asked.

Terra nodded to Sora.

Kairi wanted to groan in annoyance.

"Riku, please stand aside and give them space. Sora, don't go all out, the purpose is to see what she can do, not what you can do," ordered Terra.

Sora nodded. "Sure thing."

Kairi bristled a bit at having her opponent be told to hold back, but curbed her tongue. Both her and Sora walked away from the thrones. Yen Sid raised a hand, and a barrier of magic surrounded the middle of the room where Kairi and Sora were. Both of them summoned their Keyblades and waited.

"Begin," called out Terra.

Kairi immediately ran a hand along her Keyblade, coating it with light.

Sora hadn't moved, merely watching and waiting, his Keyblade loosely held. Neither of them struck out, both waiting. Kairi hated this part, the waiting for the other to make the first move. She never had this problem with mindless Heartless rushing at her, but when sparing? All the time.

Kairi quietly sighed and aimed a hand at Sora, releasing a pearl spell to start things off. Sora swung Oblivion and batted it right back at her. Kairi swung Oathkeeper and batted it back, changing it's direction towards the ground infront of Sora. It burst in a brief spell of light, and Kairi charged right through it, swinging overhead... but Sora wasn't there.

A whistling through the air barely altered her in time to bring her Keyblade around to block his. She winced at the impact of their Keyblade's attacking. He didn't look physically strong, but damn he packed a punch. Sora unleashed a flurry of attacks, forcing Kairi to backpedal and scramble to block them all, hard pressed to keep up with his speed. Kairi locked Keyblades with him, her arms quivering with effort, and released a hand to slip past their blades and place it against his chest, unleashing a pearl spell point blank.

It burst, sending Sora staggering a bit, but not before Kairi latched onto his arm. She yanked, spun, ducked, and threw him overhead, driving her elbow into his stomach as she did to give him more of a 'lift'.

"Waaaaaah!" yelped Sora, flying through the air and landing on the ground with a thud.

To her annoyance, Sora recovered pretty much instantly, rolling and springing to his feet, a grin on his face. "Nice move."

Kairi said nothing, merely flexing her grip on her Keyblade. Sora smirked and, to her surprise, chucked his Keyblade at her. Kairi batted it away, only for it to vanish and reappear in Sora's hand for another rapid throw. Sora repeated a few more times before he threw it hard, the impact on their Keyblades sending Kairi staggering.

"That one's called Strike Raid," said Sora, "It's one of my favorite moves."

Strike Raid huh? Well, let's see if he liked a taste of his own medicine!

Kairi chucked her Keyblade through the air, light shinning from it.

"Woah!" yelped Sora, rolling out of the way.

Kairi recalled her Keyblade and threw it at him again and again before she gave a warcry and heaved it at him hard. Sora barely managed to parry it aside, wincing a little bit at the impact. She recalled her Keyblade to her and rushed at him, attacking in a flurry.

"You know," he said, blocking her attacks seemingly without effort, "You're a pretty quick study if you can replicate a move just like that."

"You call that a move?" she taunted, "You chuck your Keyblade and recall it, it's not that hard."

Sora actually scowled for once. "Is it that hard to give you a compliment? Jeez. Also, watch your footwork."

Watch her wha-

Sora lashed out with a foot, hitting her leg and causing her to stagger. He slammed the handle of his Keyblade into her back and sent her sprawling to the floor. Kairi cursed quietly to herself and scrambled to her feet, swinging her Keyblade behind her as she turned, expecting an attack. Instead, Sora had backed off and was back in his original stance, his Keyblade aloof in his hand and waiting.

Kairi's face flustered with how easily he was handling her, gripping her Keyblade tightly. Light began to trail down her arms from her Keyblade slowly engulfing the rest of her body. Sora watched curiously, but didn't react, at least, not until Kairi burst at him almost twice as fast as before, energized directly by her light. To her chagrin, Sora kept up, putting a bit more effort into the fight.

"Not bad," said Sora between a block and a counter attack, "Making me have to work a little to manage, keep it up Kairi!"

_A LITTLE?!_

Kairi locked her Keyblade against his, pressed close, and slammed her forehead into his face, primarily on his nose. Sora gave an audible yelp of surprise and staggered, a hand going up to clutch his bloodying nose. Kairi took clear advantage and swung her Keyblade hard against his shoulder, eliciting a pained yelp from Sora before he jumped back.

"Cura!" he said, raising his Keyblade into the air, a green light enveloping him.

He massaged his now healed nose, a eager look in his eyes. "Okay then, let's pick up the pace a bit!"

Sora blitzed at her, caution thrown to the wind. He was moving much faster than before, just how much had he been holding back?! She didn't understand, the energy he was exerting now was much higher than she had detected before. She had always thought her senses were reliable, but... if a person could hide their strength like this...

Kairi didn't have time to keep thinking, struggled to keep pace, each clash of their Keyblades sent tremors through her arm. She couldn't even manage to try and slip a counter attack in. Her heart started beating wildly, exhaustion rapidly tearing at her arms. With a final swing, Sora disarmed her, sending her Keyblade flying, and her crashing to the ground.

In a panic, Kairi aimed both hands at him from where she laid and cried out, " _LIGHT_!"

_BOOM!_

An explosion of light burst out of her hands...

"Reflect!" called out Sora a moment before it hit him.

A barrier surrounded him just before the light could take him, flashing and whining on impact. Little spheres of energy appeared and burst around Sora, reflecting a bit of the energy around him, thankfully not hitting her. Kairi climbed to her feet and aimed her hand at her distant Keyblade, recalling it to her. She huffed and huffed, it was a struggle just to keep her Keyblade held up. Fighting against an army of Heartless was one thing, fighting a much stronger Keyblade Wielder was another...

The explosion cleared a moment latter, leaving Sora completely unharmed, both his eyes however were raised. "It ' _just happens_ ' huh? Not bad, that coulda hurt a lot..."

He gave her a cheeky grin. "...but that's why magic is awesome, reflect can and will save your life every time."

Kairi scowled at him, but didn't reply. She could reluctantly admit, reflect was something she might not mind learning...

"That will be enough," called out Terra.

The barrier lowered, and Sora started making for the thrones, only to pause when Kairi asked quietly, "How much?"

He turned. "Huh?"

"How much were you holding back?" she asked a little bitterly.

Sora shrugged. "At the end I started going about half-strength."

Kairi's mouth dropped. "How..."

Sora crossed his arms. "Ven meant what he said. I'm not bashing your world or the troubles it went through, but, we fight hundreds of Heartless almost daily on the worlds in the Realm of Light. How much did you fight in a given day in Traverse Town?"

She stared at him. Hundreds?! He fought _HUNDREDS_ of them daily?!

"If it was a good day on patrol, none. Normally, a few dozen over the course of a day. We had a few rough patches here and there, but, that army when my world fell was the first time we ever got hit like that," she mumbled.

"It's only that bad when the Leader of the Heartless is there, but, the worlds in the Realm of Light are still teeming with way more than 'a few dozen'," said Sora.

Kairi merely bowed her head. No wonder he was so strong, constantly fighting and growing... patrolling the streets of Traverse Town was nothing compared to that...

Sora walked over and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't sweat it, you'll be as strong as me and Riku in no time!"

She brushed him off, walking to the thrones quietly. She had so much catching up to do... it felt like an almost impossible distance to cover...

Terra studied Kairi for a moment before speaking, "You hold a decent form, but, it is a little awkward at times. You need to learn to adjust to using a Keyblade over a sword. The weight, the feel, and the energy of the Keyblade is far different then that of normal weaponry. It will require adjusting your entire fighting form."

Kairi nodded, saying nothing in response.

Terra glanced towards the hallway to the Princesses' suite. "We need to deliberate on how best to start your training. Return to your room. We will call you when we are finished."

Kairi left without a word...

* * *

Sora put his hands behind his head, watching Kairi go with a troubled look on her face. "It wouldn't kill her to smile a bit, she did pretty good in my opinion."

"Yes, I find that a bit curious as well, she's not what I expected out of a Princess of Heart. Disrespectful, bitter, competitive, and unfriendly are not terms I'd associate with one of them," said Terra, before glancing towards a different hallway, "Aurora, your thoughts?"

The eldest Princess of Heart walked out from where she had been hiding and observing, making her way to the throne before crossing her arms and giving Terra a patient look. "With due respect Master Terra, we may be Princesses of Heart, but we are still human beings. We think and feel just the same as the rest of you."

Terra frowned. "None of us have ever said you weren't human, why would you even think..."

Aurora pursed her lips. "If that is the case, then why do you hold such preconceived notions about what she should be like? Do you classify a Princess of Heart as a being unable to show negative emotions, always happy and cheerful, radiating purity and light?"

Terra didn't respond.

Aurora's voice grew thin. "We are all capable of much more than that."

Her eyes trailed towards the way Kairi had gone. "As for that one, she just lost her home and everyone she cares about, what did you expect from her? To put on a happy face and go about her day as if nothing had happened? That she can function at all is a testament to her will when she has nothing and no one left."

"She has all of us," butted in Sora.

Aurora gave him a patient look. "She does not know any of you, nor does she know her fellow princesses. She was terrified of us earlier, when we simply tried to help sooth her pain."

Sora's face fell at that. "Oh..."

He perked up. "Well, we'll just have to become her friends then and show her she can count on us!"

"Easier said than done," muttered Riku with disinterest.

Aurora cleared her throat. "I also do not agree with the choice to mislead her on Aqua's fate. I doubt she would be as forgiving as the rest of us, when she discovers what you kept from her, her reaction is not going to be pleasant in the slightest."

Terra gave her a hard stare. "What exactly would you have us tell her? You told us how she spoke of Aqua, that reverence. What would it do to the child to tell her that her Master's shadow was the cause for all of the suffering she, and the rest of the worlds, went through?"

"Much less then it would to learn the hard way," said Aurora a little coldly.

"I kinda agree," said Mickey sullenly, "It's not right to lie to someone like that, she's not as young as Sora was when you hid it from him. You can't use age as an excuse..."

Terra shook his head. "The decision stands, both Eraqus and I agree that she does not need that as a distraction right now. Now, to the matter at hand. Aurora, what were your thoughts on her capabilities?"

Aurora slowly shook her head. "Her light functions differently from the rest of us. We soothe, we heal, we can hold back the darkness. Our utility is endless, but we cannot fight with it like she can. She is different, a fighter, not a princess. We cannot help you train her abilities."

Terra nodded slowly. "I see."

A troubled look crossed Aurora's face. "That moment at the end, when she unleashed her power unrestrained against Sora. The light within her... it..."

She frowned, trying to mull over what she wanted to say. "It 'churned' I suppose would be the best description I could give. To use the power of a Princess of Heart as a combatant, to my knowledge it's never happened before. Just be careful when training her, she might not be able to call it out at will yet, but her power of light is dangerous, even if her other capabilities are lacking in comparison."

Terra nodded. "Agreed, and on that note..."

He glanced at his fellow masters. "Whom among us would be best suited to begin teaching her?"

"Gosh, what should we focus on first? Helping her master her strength with the light, or cover for her weakness with magic? We can't all stay and train her, we have responsibilities to the Realm of Light," said Mickey.

Terra nodded and leaned back in his chair, contemplative. "Hrm..."

"If I may," said Aurora, "I would suggest, for the time being, allowing her to focus on something she's comfortable with. Focus on the light, and ease her into the rest. While I doubt she wishes to be coddled, right now, she needs something to go in her favor, rather than struggling with something she had no experience with."

Terra tilted his head thoughtfully before turning his head to grin at Eraqus. "Ready to train another teenager?"

Eraqus scoffed. "I survived you Ventus and Aqua, I'll manage."

Ven laughed. "Hehe that you did."

He sighed. "I miss the old days, I really do."

Eraqus nodded soberly. "Agreed. Days before Xehanort's madness, days before my own failings and mistakes..."

Ven frowned at him. "Eraqus... I thought I told you to leave your 'mistakes' in the past. I never held it against you."

Eraqus chuckled soft, raising his hand to his scarred-closed eye. "Raising my Keyblade against my apprentices is a mistake that leaves more scares than just the one Aqua left me my friend. It is wise, to never forget, so one cannot repeat their mistakes."

Sora frowned and shifted uncomfortably. He remembered, about two years ago, when they Masters had finally enlightened him and Riku on the full truth of what had happened during the original conflict with Xehanort. Out of all of that, two things had hit him the hardest. One, what Xehanort had done to, and wanted to do to Aqua. Especially since Kairi had enlightened them on how Xehanort's meddling almost destroyed Aqua's heart. The second, was that Master Eraqus had actually tried to kill Ventus out of fear for Xehanort's plans, and fought Aqua with similar intentions when she intervened on her friend's behalf. It had left him deeply troubled for a time, to think that a wise and just man like Eraqus could have done something like that. But... the guilt the Eraqus felt, helped him understand that everyone, light or dark, good or evil, made mistakes.

They were all only human after all.

His thoughts drifted to Kairi. He had spent so many years looking for her while on duty trying to safeguard the Realm of Light. Now that he had found and met her... he really didn't know what to think of her. That boot in the stomach she had given him had been a rather rude awakening. He had always imagined a really sweet, kind, and, he blushed slightly, cute girl like Aqua had first told him all those years ago. She was cute if he had anything to say on the matter, but...

He frowned in contemplation. Aurora was right, he should be judging her based off his own expectation. Truth be told, her actions and reactions to him hadn't hurt as much as one simple fact, one that worried him about her to be honest. He had tried joking with her, tried being friendly, tried teasing her, tried complimenting her, but not once, had he ever gotten a smile from her, he hadn't seen her smile once. The closest he had seen was a weak masked one when Master Eraqus had scolded them.

The lack of a smile, that, more than anything else, hurt. Riku teased him about it, but, he considered it one of his missions in life to bring as many smiles to people's faces as he could. To try to beat back the darkness and make them happy in the bleak lives so many lived nowadays, the shadow of Aqua's Heartless looming over them all. To fail to do that was to fail his duty, especially considering who Kairi was.

He had made a promise to Aqua to protect Kairi. Funny thing was, he wasn't sure she was going to need that kind of protection, not for long anyway. Despite her aggravation towards his compliments, he had meant every one of them. She was going to be a force to be reckoned with one day.

So, he'd settle for at least finding a way to put a smile on that serious grouchy face of hers. Maybe after she'd had time to adjust to being here and come to terms with her world being consumed. Well... if she could come to terms with that kind of thing. But, he'd become her friend and help her with that as best as he could.

"Sora, daydreaming again?" came Ven's teasing voice.

Sora blinked a few times, noting that the room was emptying. "Oh, uh, what did I miss?"

Ven walked over and patted his shoulder. "Not much. Eraqus is staying to train the princess, the rest of us are heading out, we're together this time."

Sora beamed. "Alllllrrrright! Sora Ven tag team combo is a go! The Heartless wont know what hit them!"

Ven chuckled before making for the entrance to the keep. "Come on goofball."

Sora spared one last look towards the Princess's suite, feeling Kairi's light off in the distance, before turning and following Ventus out the door...


	7. State of the Worlds

When Kairi had been told Master Eraqus would be her primary Master and teacher for the time being, she had been elated.

When the first 'lesson' with him had been to just sit down for hours in meditation until dinner came, she hadn't been so sure anymore.

"The first step Kairi, in understanding how to properly use, and then master your abilities with the light, is to learn how to channel it, to draw it out in full at will," he had explained, "To do that, meditation is the starting key."

So, here she sat, after a quiet dinner with him and the Princesses, meditating again. Truth be told, she'd rather either be shown techniques, or be learning through combat. But... he was the Master of her true Master, so, she'd listen for now.

"The purpose of meditation, Kairi, is to clear your mind of thoughts, not fidget," called over Eraqus.

Kairi resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she simply closed them, breathed in, and breathed out. She calmed herself, and did her best to push aside the thoughts of her second home, her friends and family, trying to plague her.

She sat there for another few hours, until Eraqus had her call it for the night and she went to sleep. The night was not kind to her, nightmares of that final few hours of her second home warping her dreams. She was 'thankful' nightmares weren't exactly uncommon, she had stopped waking up screaming from them years ago. She woke up, had breakfast, and found herself meditating again.

She grumbled softly to herself and sighed as she knelt down to begin.

"Something the matter Kairi?" inquired Eraqus, a hint of amusement on his face.

"I ought to be learning something so I can go out and help," she muttered.

Eraqus raised an eyebrow. "Kairi, while the desire to help the worlds is a noble one, you are learning something. This may be 'boring' to you, but, there is less to teach you then there was my own apprentices, thus why we focus on it. Terra, Ventus, and Aqua all came to me as relatively blank slates in terms of powers and abilities. They of course naturally excelled in separate areas, but the point still stood that they barely knew how to summon their Keyblade when they arrive here. You at least know how to fight, and have some rudimentary knowledge of how to use your light."

It was... hard to imagine Master Aqua having once been weaker than Kairi was now. Kind of a humbling thought, to realize everyone, even heroes, had to have begun somewhere.

"How was Master Aqua at meditation?" asked Kairi.

A sad look overtook Eraqus. "She used to excel at it, before Xehanort came. She used to be my prized student, so gifted with magic and the light, before he harmed her, right under my nose. I hadn't a clue. After that, when she started struggling with the darkness Xehanort had unleashed by cracking her control over her heart, her performance began to decline. She couldn't meditate properly unless her friends were there with her, subtly soothing her inward pain."

He sighed. "Terra became the prized student, and even Ventus outshone her at times. Her fall into darkness was a quiet thing at first, before everything went wrong at the Mark of Mastery Exam. Afterwords, she descended full force into it's depths for the sake of her friends. Woe be it for her, and for the rest of us in the end, that she thought the darkness was the only answer."

Kairi frowned at that, but said nothing. She had never cared that Master Aqua used the darkness, but apparently, that wasn't true for the others. She felt her anger towards this Xehanort slowly beginning to bubble and rise. How that man had made her Master suffer...

She was going to return the favor one day.

"Still yourself, remain calm, and meditate until lunch nears, then, we will test to see how you have adapted," said Eraqus, kneeling down on the floor next to her, closing his eyes to meditate.

Kairi followed suit, emptying her mind, leaving herself blank...

...until Eraqus shook her shoulder. "Kairi?"

"Hmm...?" she murmured, opening her eyes.

"Draw out your light," he ordered softly, "Hold it in your hand."

Kairi blinked sleepily and held her hand out, coating it with light how she often did her blade.

"Spread it through your body," he ordered.

She followed the sensation of light coating her hand, pushing it down to slowly coat the rest of her body, just like she had done against Sora on instinct. It wasn't the immense power she had drawn out for her final stand at Traverse Town... but...

Kairi blinked a few times and shook her head, fully coming out of her meditation, and stared at herself. She clenched and unclenched her glowing hands, swinging her glowing arms out infront of her.

"Huh, what do you know...," murmured Kairi.

Eraqus chuckled. "Have faith in my teachings child, I have done this three times before, and went through it myself. Though, you learned and adapted to it at an impressive speed."

Eraqus stood up and beckoned her to rise. "With your light channeled and engulfing you in it's aura, you will find everything about yourself increased. Your speed, your senses, your strength, your power with the light, and your magic. It drains you faster, to use your light like this, but it's grace will help guide you through even the most troubling of times and challenges."

"The more you practice channeling, the more your light will grow, and the quicker you will be able to draw it out and use it," explained Eraqus.

"How fast can you do this?" asked Kairi.

Eraqus took a few steps back away from her and then tensed. A powerful light radiated from him, blue lightning cackling down his body briefly. Her eyes went wide at that, her senses flaring, probing his light. Once again, she found her senses fooled by what she had detected before. When someone truly brought out the power of the heart, it was something hard to measure...

"Wow...," she whispered.

Eraqus relaxed his energy. "One day Kairi, you too will be able to so easily and readily reach this level. Perhaps, you'll even surpass me. Come, let us eat."

Kairi relaxed her energy and followed him to sit at the dinning hall with the rest of the Princesses. "So, how often do the others stay out for on their umm... missions?"

Eraqus sat down and motioned for her to do the same. "It's not missions, per say. We have one goal, and that is to safeguard and try to prevent the Realm of Light from collapsing for as long as we can."

"You... say it as if it's a given fact that it will collapse," said Kairi warily.

Eraqus sighed. "Kairi, so few worlds remain in our vicinity anymore. There are still plenty, off in the far distance, but, those take days to reach, taking longer and longer the farther out you have to travel. Yet, even those are slowly blinking out, day by day. There will come a point when there is not enough light, not enough worlds left in the Realm of Light to sustain it. If it weren't for the light of the Princesses, we figure the Realm would have ruptured by now with the utter devastation ripping through it."

Eraqus rubbed his nose tiredly as Cinderella began passing out plates of food. "In our immediate vicinity in the Realm of Light, there are only three worlds within an hour's drive by glider, where there used to be dozens, if not hundreds. Olympus Coliseum, the Land of Dragons, and Disney Castle, are all that is left. The Coliseum survives because of the unusual circumstances surrounding that world. Heroes, both living and dead, are brought out of it's underworld to combat the Heartless, and the gods of that world itself intervene in the ongoing catastrophe."

Kairi had her eyebrows raised, fork frozen half way to her mouth. "Living _AND_ dead people?"

Eraqus nodded. "The lord of the dead, Hades, made a special rule for the dead to leave the underworld and combat the Heartless, considering the apocalypse all worlds are facing. He is a smooth talking devious god, but, even he was forced to adapt. For, before the Leader of the Heartless, the Olympus gods, even mighty Zeus, are nothing."

The weight of his words pressed down on her heavily... not even gods, the deities people worshiped could stop **_IT_**?

Eraqus saw her look and cleared his throat. "Though certain ones may be, most gods are not as all powerful as you may have been led to believe. Terra himself faced off against Hades once, during the original Xehanort conflict, and bested him in combat."

Kairi relaxed slightly. "Oh, okay, but... you said that the gods couldn't stand up to it. Did they actually fight it? Or is it just a comparison?

Eraqus chuckled softly. "An attention for detail like that will serve you well child. Yes, the Olympian Gods and the Leader of the Heartless did clash once. However, it was early on, back when it was called the Heartless Invasion rather than the Heartless Apocalypse. The Leader was barely a fraction of as strong as it is now. It is one of the few times that thing was ever actually beaten or driven off by the inhabitants of an individual world. They are fortunate the Heartless don't particularly care about the notion of revenge. It could crush them easily now if it cared to return."

That certainly was a sobering thought, still, she could admit, "The fact that _**IT** _ was beaten once is... an inspiring thought."

They paused to eat a bit before Eraqus continued, "Disney Castle is Mickey's home. It houses an artifact of great light, the Cornerstone, that repels the darkness. Heartless cannot manifest within the castle's walls. Though, Disney Town itself fell some time ago, as the pressure that the Leader of the Heartless exerts weakens the Cornerstone's influence over the world it resides in. We use Mickey's home as a place to rest and recover if we cannot make it back here, or as a place to further venture out deeper into the worlds."

He hesitated. "We... are not certain if the Cornerstone would honestly stop the Leader of the Heartless from entering that world however, considering it's raw power, it would hopefully weaken that Heartless at least."

Eraqus frowned. "The Land of the Dragons is a hollowed world of what it used to be. It used to be home to two separate factions, China, and the Huns. They hated each other, but even that hatred paled in comparison to the hunger of the Heartless. It was one of the last times we ever dove into a world being consumed by the Leader of the Heartless. We found the Keyhole, sealed it, and helped the world weather out the storm until the Heartless lost interest. The Leader of them craves the hearts of worlds far more than the hearts of individual people. If it's not an option, it moves on. What remains of China and the Huns banded together to try to survive in their ravaged world. We check in from time to time to try and lend a hand, but each time, the world has withered a little more. It's a sad thing to watch the fall of a world, even when the Heartless cannot reach their Keyhole, it will still most likely collapse on itself and fall to darkness. It was to badly damaged, and so much of it's people lost, in that night of consumption."

Kairi had stopped feeling hungry about half way through that detailing. Listening to this was depressive...

"Before I continue. If we were to detail the world as a whole in a map. The worlds in the immediate vicinity to the Land of Departure would be classified as the Core Worlds. The next stage, those within a several hour flight by glider, would be called the Inner Worlds. Anything else that takes a day or more to reach, would be called the Outer Worlds. Understand?" explained and asked Eraqus.

Kairi nodded.

"The Leader of the Heartless started in the Core Worlds and ate it's way outward," explained Eraqus, "The farther the worlds got from the Land of Departure, the harder it was to defend them. Through their Corridors of Darkness, the Heartless can travel near instantly to another world. So many worlds were lost simply because of the time it took to travel to them when their stars started blinking out."

He massaged his forehead. "As I said, there are only three worlds left in our immediate vicinity, the Core. It is also unfortunate to say that only three of the Inner Worlds are left as well."

Kairi's face fell. "How many did there used to be?"

"Where there were hundreds of core worlds at one point, there were thousands of Inner Worlds," he said heavily.

Kairi looked down at her plate silently, feeling like her stomach wanted to heave itself up. She had always thought Traverse Town was overcrowded... but... the truth was, so few people survived the fall of their worlds if what Eraqus said was true. Thousands of worlds fell, compared to the hundreds of districts.

"All that remains aside from those six between the Core and Inner worlds, not including what lives in the Realm Between, are the worlds that exist so far away from us. When we leave to go to the outer worlds, its usually a several day, if not week, expedition. We don't have any particular goal or world to defend with such en-devours, we simply try to banish the Heartless where we find them, and find and seal the Keyholes," explained Eraqus.

Keyhole... something about that term faintly tugged at her, as if someone had mentioned it to her before Eraqus had...

"How hard is it to find a Keyhole?" asked Kairi.

"A monumental task to be frank," said Eraqus, "Unless you are lucky enough to stumble across it, it's nigh impossible for us. The only sure way, is to follow the Heartless, for they can seemingly can smell the Heart of a World. That of course, is extremely dangerous, as that allows them to get far to close, and may be able consume the world before we can stop them, or overwhelm us and drive us from the Keyhole."

Kairi nodded. "I see."

She refocused. "You said there were three Inner Worlds?"

Eraqus nodded. "Alexandria, Lordaeran..."

He frowned intently. "...and Tristram."

Kairi tilted her head, it was hard not to notice that pause. "Something wrong with Tristram?"

"It's a place I don't intend for you to go to for some time. It is a world where good and evil were forced to ally in order to fight the Heartless," he said with disdain, "One day, the creature of pure evil, of terror, that they allied themselves with is going to consume them as readily as the Heartless would. Still, that was one of the worlds we found the Keyhole for, on accident to be honest."

Kairi felt a little uneasy at his words, but store it away for later. "What about the other two?"

"Alexandria is a world that used to be so grand, and bore another name for a time. It used to be home to three kingdoms, Alexandria, Burmecia, and Lindblum. The other two were consumed by darkness, and only the light of the castle of Alexandria and it's champions kept their world alive in it's darkest hour. Thus, the shrunken world was renamed after the only surviving kingdom," explained Eraqus.

Eraqus displayed a cunning smile, "Lordaeran, which by the way we will be visiting after were done lunch, is a world protected by the Order of the Silver Hand..."

Kairi's eyes bulged. "We're going to another world?!"

Eraqus chuckled. "Of course, you can't expect all of your training to occur within these walls."

He grew serious. "Even if you are but a fledgling apprentice, you are still a Keybearer, and have a duty to help defend the worlds. Gone are the days where we could sit here and train in solitude. Sora and Riku, as much as I never would have wished it on them, were trained out in the worlds from the moment they awakened their Keyblades, roughly when they were both eight."

Kairi nodded with equal seriousness, and hid a bit of jealousy. Those two boys had been out there making a difference at such a young age. She had only just started out learning how to fight at that age, always stuck with someone else on patrol... dammit... she hated being reminded of how long she had been stuck in that refugee world.

Eraqus finished off his plate before speaking, "Lordaeran as an old world, stuck in it's old ways. But, that is not a bad thing. It lacks in technology, but makes up for it by far with faith in the light. The Order of the Silver Hand is a group of paladins, light wielders, who safeguard their world. They are impressive. Their best can even match blades with myself, Mickey, or Ventus. Though, Terra is by far their, and our, superior."

Kairi thought briefly for a moment, recalling how her senses had been so easily fooled lately. "Just... how strong _IS_ Master Terra?"

Eraqus pulled on his mustache in thought. "I don't think there has been a Keyblade Master of the Light with his pure raw power and strength in many generations. These last ten years of constant struggle have pushed him to a level of strength few could even dream of. To be frank, I'm not even sure of how strong he honestly is anymore. He hasn't had to cut loose in several years."

"Should... he try to fight the...," began Kairi.

Eraqus shook his head. "Even with how strong he may or may not be, he is not strong enough to beat that thing, not even close."

Kairi sighed. "It's... really hard to find any hope to use against **_IT_**..."

"You should always have faith," said Aurora.

Kairi blinked a few times, noticing the Princesses were all still gathered, and watching them silently. Jeez... were they really _THAT_ interested?

Well...

Then again, they were trapped in a castle all day every day for protection. The training and instruction of a new apprentice was probably something exciting to break from their normal daily lives. Yeah... that was another reason to definitely train and not stay back to be a coddled 'Princess of Heart', because that had to be boring as hell.

"I agree with Aurora," said Eraqus.

He slowly stood up and walked over to Kairi, kneeling down in front of her. "Kairi, I want you to never forget. Even in the deepest darkness, exists..."

"A light to guide you. So long as you believe in the light, the darkness will never defeat you," finished Kairi faintly.

Eraqus looked at her with surprise. "How do you..."

"My grandma," said Kairi softly, "She used to tell me the exact same thing."

Eraqus smiled and chuckled at that. "A wise woman indeed then, but even beyond that Kairi..."

"Even in the greatest darkness, exists the greatest of lights," said Eraqus, "If you find the legions of darkness surrounding you, if you feel that there is no hope, turn to those words, and never forget them."

He stood. "Come, we have to get you a set of Keyblade Armor, and teach you how to summon your own glider."

Kairi nodded and made to rise before pausing.

Keyblade Armor...?

Like... the one she had been armored in on that mural in that dream?

She gave a soft smile as she followed him out of the dining hall, betting quietly to herself, "Five munny says it's red and white."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't often do Notes on this site for a chapter in this story, but, I thought I ought to give some explanations with the world choices:
> 
> I found that I actually backed myself into kind of a corner with how many worlds were destroyed, and by some of the characters I had put into Traverse Town.
> 
> Jack: Cut Port Royal off the list.  
> Rapunzel: Cut Tangled off the list.  
> Arthur: Cut England off the list. (While Merlin exists as a part of Radiant Garden, England wasn't cannon to KH, but Arthur was to golden of a character not to include)  
> Barret: Cut Midgar off the list. (Midgar wasn't cannon to KH either, but it was an idea I toyed with)  
> Hiro: Cut his world off the list.  
> Lilo/Stitch: Cut Hawaii off the list.
> 
> Just as the obvious examples, plus you have to consider the fact that there was supposed to have been many other worlds that had fallen in order to create a Traverse Town THAT huge.
> 
> So, I had to do a bit of thinking to decide where and what to include in this story.
> 
> Traverse Town was eaten in Chapter 3, and Radiant Garden was eaten back in Aqua: Heart of Darkness, so that struck off two original worlds from the KH series.
> 
> I also couldn't have it entirely be Disney, because let's face it, many of those worlds would have easily fallen to the rapid increase in the number of regular Heartless alone, not including Aqua/Xehanort's heartless themselves. Not to mention, as I said in an earlier chapter, all the worlds the Princesses of Heart originated from were consumed to explain them being in the Land of Departure, so that also cut down potential worlds drastically from the original list of KH worlds.
> 
> So, I did some picking from the original list of worlds from KH1-2, and had to contemplate if they would have actually survived, Keyhole sealing or not.
> 
> Olympus Coliseum was a rather obvious choice for me, considering just how much it had going for it. Hercules, Hades, the Pantheon of the Gods (not mentioned in KH1-2, but they exist in that world's none-KH lore so why not), and the entire Underworld, make it a very strong contender for survival.
> 
> The Land of the Dragons: Was an iffy choice to me. It had standing armies, between the Huns and China, so that gave it better than normal odds in it's favor. However, it had perhaps like... 4-5 strong warriors? Mushu, Mulan (who wouldn't have even been old enough to fight back then), Shan-Yu, and maybe Shang. So, their world ends in a bad state, slowly petering away.
> 
> Disney Castle: Cornerstone of Light. Enough said.
> 
> After that, I had to spread my options into other, none-cannon KH options (I.E. worlds not used in any of the games or teased in KH3). To be honest, my knowledge base isn't that impressive. I stopped watching TV/Movies years ago in favor of gaming, and some games, and the TV shows I remember, are either completely incompatible, or not comparable in terms of mechanics or power.
> 
> To give an example from my knowledge base: Dragon Ball Z...
> 
> Uh...
> 
> Anything Saiyan Saga forward wouldn't mesh, far to powerful and OP for a Kingdom Hearts setting.
> 
> So, I slowly narrowed down what I knew to three games/worlds:
> 
> Alexandria: From Final Fantasy 9.  
> Lordaeran: From Warcraft III.  
> Tristram: From Diablo I-II.
> 
> Warcraft and Diablo are kind of dark for Kingdom Hearts, but I went with them. After all, this story and the previous one are already kind of dark/bleak.
> 
> Tristram, I actually really liked as an idea after I chose it, to show how desperate things were. You should have a good idea of just what the people of Tristram allied themselves with to survive if you've played Diablo and caught what Eraqus hinted at, or if you know it's lore. Will be an interesting meeting when Kairi eventually gets there, he he he he he he.
> 
> I also recalled that I couldn't do Spira from FF10, because of the Lore I put into Aqua: HOD about the Keyblade War.
> 
> Oh, and before you ask, Twilight Town is still kicking.
> 
> Whether or not Kairi visits it and finds a certain Nobody of a certain Master in this book, well...
> 
> That's a secret for now.
> 
> :tease:


	8. To a New World

Kairi followed Eraqus further into the keep than she had been up to this point. They walked down a hall, past a number of bedrooms that she imagined belonged to the other Keybearers, and into another hallway. He led her into a room filled with, to her surprise, shelves containing tons of armor pieces that looked like the ones the wielders all had on their shoulders.

Eraqus nodded to the shelves. "Pick one that you feel suits you."

Her eyes washed over them. There were so many different shapes and sizes, so many different ways the armor twisted and bent. Yet, though all of the available options, there was one that stood out to her. Rather than a shoulder plate, there was a an armpiece, one that could be worn a bit below her shoulder and extend down near her elbow, similar to the one Master Aqua had. The top of it was a red button, with a white boarder. It had three metal pieces connected to it, red, white, red.

Kairi grabbed it and slowly fitted it to her arm. It was a bit big at first, but she was surprised when it shrunk down to fit her. Huh, nifty kind of magic.

"Hit the button," instructed Eraqus.

Kairi raised her hand, and slapped it over the button. She was briefly blinded by a flash of light, before there was a sudden weight coating her body and she opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was a helmet on her head, and that she was staring out a visor of sorts. She reached up, and pulled the helmet off, before she looked herself over.

She was in full body armor up to her neck. It was mostly red, save for white lines, starting down from the top of her armor, than ran down the entire thing. The lines followed to each armored finger tip, down to each armored boot, front and back. There were also white stripes wrapped around each joint. On her back was a cape, the outer part being red, the inner part being white. She looked at the helmet in her hand, a red lump of metal, with a white line down the middle of it, save for the translucent visor to see out of. She... liked the armor... it made her feel safe, protected... but...

She glanced back at the cape with a frown. "Wouldn't this get in the way in a fight?"

Eraqus chuckled. "Perhaps, but, your armor is connected to you. Like your Keyblade, you can will it away."

Kairi focused her mind, and saw her cloak fade in a brief shine of light. She wondered...

She focused the same effort on her helmet, and watched that fade too. "I don't like the helmet, makes me feel congested and stuffy."

Eraqus slowly shook his head. "You'll need it when we enter the lanes between, for you will require your full armor to protect you from the darkness between the worlds. Now, you can dismiss your armor as a whole."

Kairi closed her eyes and focused. Her armor faded with a flash of light, leaving her back in her normal clothes. The moment she did however, she lost that feeling of safety she had, and frowned intently, an uneasy look on her face.

"Something the matter Kairi?" asked Eraqus.

She hesitated before hitting the button again, and wrapping herself in her armor without her helmet or cape, a faint revealed smile on her face.

Eraqus gave her a questioning look, and Kairi stammered a bit to avoid giving an honest answer, "Umm w-well, wearing heavy armor all the time is good strength training, right?"

Eraqus frowned briefly before nodding. "It can be, just be mindful to not wear yourself out by doing so."

With that, Eraqus turned and led her out the room. Kairi walked out, feeling more than comfortable. As heavy as it was on her body, she loved the feeling of safety and protection it offered her. More than just physical protection, she could feel the energy within the armor, a safety net against the darkness...

She could admit, maybe it was childish, but...

She didn't ever want to take the armor off. Having tasted what it was to wear it, just being in her normal Guardians of Traverse Town uniform left her feeling far to bare and unguarded.

She followed Eraqus out of the keep and to the courtyard where he stopped and turned to her. "Creating a Keyblade Glider is, as always with the Keyblade, a matter of will and heart. Observe."

Eraqus raised his hand and slapped what she thought was his bare shoulder under his cloak. She however heard a click of a button being pressed, and Eraqus's body flashed white with light. When it died down, she saw him in armor somewhat similar to her own. Mostly colored gold and white, his helmet had three spikes shooting up above him, and the Keyblade symbol on the forehead of it. Leftover from his normal clothing was the teal-ish armor from his midsection.

Eraqus held out his hand, and a Keyblade appeared in it. It looked just as simple as the Kingdom Key Riku had. The blade portion was a darker steel, the handle was a simple steel color, with red steel connecting it. It was simple yes... but... it also felt so fitting to see in the man's hands...

"What's your Keyblade called?" she asked.

"Master Keeper," he answered, "Now, observe."

Eraqus tossed his Keyblade into the air, and with a flash of light, it transformed. Unlike the other Keyblade Gliders which were vehicular in nature, Eraqus's was a bit... different. It was a metallic horse of all things... yet... like the Keyblade in his hands, it felt fitting. He mounted the Keyblade Horse and sat on it. If he had his Keyblade in his hands, he'd look like quite the warrior ready to charge into battle mounted on a steed.

"Will your Keyblade to change its form, to grant unto you a way to transverse the Lanes Between, and throw it into the air," instructed Eraqus.

Kairi summoned Oathkeeper and threw it into the air...

...only to be forced to dodge out of the way when it came right back down at her. "Er..."

Eraqus chuckled softly. "It may take a few attempts."

'A few attempts' turned out to be a rather frustrating ten minutes of 'dodge the falling Keyblade', before she finally lost it, gave a yell, and threw her Keyblade high into the sky, "Let me _OUT_!"

There was a burst of light, before her Keyblade changed. What it turned into was not what she expected in the slightest. It looked like a makeshift metallic raft with Oathkeeper sticking up out of it like a mast with a steering wheel coming out of it half way up...

Was she really supposed to go between world's with this!? It seemed as dumb and foolish as trying to build a raft to cross an ocean with...

Kairi sighed and walked onto it, summoning her helmet and putting it onto her head. She grabbed the steering wheel, pulling up. The Keyblade Raft levitated into the air.

Eraqus nodded at her, and kicked his own glider into gear. "It will take a few hours to reach our destination."

Together, they rode into the sky, and into a sparking portal that appeared before them. When they came out to the other side, Kairi couldn't help but feel sad. She could imagine once, this had been an awe inspiring sight, to travel through the space between worlds. Now? It was a cold, dark, silent place, with hardly any stars visible no matter which way she looked. She was again, comforted by the fact that she had her armor to protect her during this bleak trip through the Lanes Between.

She followed behind Eraqus patiently as the hours ticked by. Finally, off in the distance, one of the few stars she had been able to see started drawing closer. Kairi felt a bit apprehensive, it would be her first time outside of the Realm Between in ten years. Would the worlds in the Realm of Light truely be as bad as Sora hinted at? Teeming with hordes of Heartless?

Well... only one way to find out.

She followed Eraqus, descending into the world. They parted the clouds, flew down and over a village. Kairi looked down to see, to her surprise, people looking up at them happily. Some even gave a cheer. Keybearers seemed to be well received here. Eraqus however didn't set them down in the town. He flew past it and into the countryside a ways before he had them set down.

Eraqus banished his Glider and armor. "There used to be a time when it was forbidden for the worlds to know of each other. Forbidden for us to interfere in their matters unless it involved countering the influence of outside darkness. Forbidden for those not chosen by the Keyblade to know of it's mysteries."

Kairi banished her Glider and her helmet. "Really?"

Eraqus nodded. "Yes. It become rather improbable for us to keep our identities and duties a secret as time passed, forcing us to reveal ourselves as we fought to save the worlds as best we could. Not to mention a certain spiky brown haired boy always following his heart, even if it broke the rules."

He chuckled softly to himself and looked up into the sky. "How times have changed."

Kairi's ears perked at a rustling sound, and then she felt darkness. Her Keyblade was out and bathed in light the moment the first of the Heartless appeared. Like the tide Sora had described, dozens of Shadows, and some Neoshadows appeared. However, they weren't alone. Pureblood Heartless that she had never seen nor heard about before appeared.

Purple batlike Heartless flying through the air...

Large groundhog like Heartless burrowing out of the ground. Their backs covered in spikes, their faces a smooth black and purple.

Eraqus saw her confusion and and spoke, "Flutterings and Earth Cores. The Leader of the Heartless dredged up every vile Heartless out of the Realm of Darkness that it could. The Flutterings are an annoyance, and don't attack the Earth Cores from behind."

Nothing more was said as the Heartless closed in on them. True to his word, the Flutterings were utterly obnoxious, shooting energy pulses at them, or spinning along the ground and slamming into them. Kairi actually missed the times when all she saw were Shadows out on patrol. Ah well...

Oathkeeper and Master Keeper cleaved through Heartless after Heartless, yet, where one fell, at least three more rose to take it's place. Kairi was starting to panic a little, her heart beating wildly. Their numbers were reminding her too much of the last night in Traverse Town. She tapped more into her light, coating her body in an aura, and tore into them.

"Kairi!" called out Eraqus, "Pace yourself or you will spend your energy to quickly."

He was telling her to hold back?!

She hesitated, uncertain for a moment. It cost her, an Earth Core barreled into her, knocking and pinning her to the ground, sending her Keyblade flying. Kairi's eyes went wide and she acted on instinct. She grabbed it's face with a gauntlet, and white lines spread out from her touch. The lines stream down its body until it exploded in a burst of light that destroyed all nearby lesser Heartless and sent the rest of the Neoshadows and Earth Cores flying.

Eraqus was there in an instant, handing her Keyblade to her and standing guard as she got back to her feet. "Be nimble and quick Kairi. Being overwhelmed or pinned down by the Heartless is a way to easily lose one's heart."

Obviously...

Kairi bit back her retort and braced herself as the Heartless returned for them...

"For Lordaeran! For the King!" came a battle cry.

Kairi turned her head, sighting a number of men in heavy armor being led by an older man with a warhammer rushing to their aid. She did a double take when the older man started glowing brightly with light, her senses tingling. That man was like a beacon of light...

"Pay attention Kairi!" ordered Eraqus.

Kairi turned her head back in time to see a Neoshadow leaping at her. She scrambled away and then turn, slicing through it.

"Do not allow yourself to be distracted in the middle of a fight," instructed Eraqus, his own Keyblade singing through the air.

Their reinforcements joined into the battle a moment later. The older man wielded a warhammer and the light with ease, like child's play. He was a calming presence to be on the same battlefield with. The battle lasted another ten minutes before the Heartless numbers finally dwindled and faded.

Kairi was panting, sweat rolling down her forehead, by the end of it. "Ridiculous..."

A single battle... yet... she had fought more Heartless here in under half an hour than she normally did in a week, if not more, back home on patrol...

Her face fell a bit. Sora had been right... it was so much worse out here...

"Well met Eraqus," came an old, wise voice.

Kairi glanced at the older man. Graying brown hair, blue eyes that almost seemed aglow with the light. He was armored in heavy gold and purple armor. Held underneath an arm was a gold and blue plated tome, hung on his armor by a chain.

Eraqus strode to the man and held out a hand in greeting. "Well met indeed Uther."

Uther grasped his hand in a firm shake before pulling him into a brotherly hug, patting a shoulder before separating and laughing. "You always know how to draw a crowd when you and your wards arrive."

Eraqus chuckled. "Well, as I've said in the past, the Heartless are drawn to the Keyblade. The moment we arrive, they come out of the woodworks."

Kairi frowned. The Heartless were drawn to Keyblades...?

Her face paled a little. That dream... before the Heartless had invaded...

Riku had said that the dream occurred before they awakened their Keyblade... the Heartless had invaded right after... Eraqus said the Heartless were drawn to the Keyblade...

Kairi took in a raged breath and lowered her Keyblade to the ground, staring at it with mortification, starting to shake a bit. "Did I..."

"Kairi? Are you alright?" asked Eraqus, walking over to her.

She looked at him fearfully, her body trembling. "You said they're drawn to the Keyblade... they never came like that to my world before I had that dream... did I draw **_IT_ ** to us? Did I get my world, get my family and friends, killed by awakening my Keyblade?"

Eraqus's face softened. "Kairi..."

His faced hardened and a mask like quality took it over. "It doesn't work quite like that. The Heartless can only detect it if your on the same world as them. It does not reach off the boundary of the world you are on."

Kairi searched his eyes, but couldn't tell if he was lying to her or not. It was all she could do to hope and pray it wasn't her fault... she didn't think she could live with herself if it was...

"Now, to start your training, I would like you to take point alongside two of Uther's men, should he be willing to grant them of course, and lead us to town," said Eraqus, glancing over at Uther.

The old man nodded, but said nothing.

"As a Keyblade Wielder, we must be prepared to stand alone against the darkness if need be, but gone are the days where we must hide who we are from the populace. Working alongside the defenders of the worlds is an advantage that should be taken when possible," instructed Eraqus.

She nodded.

"Alright, go on then, town is to the due east, lead the way," said Eraqus, "Uther and I will intervene if need be, otherwise, it's on you and your allies to lead us there safely."

* * *

Eraqus watched solemnly as Kairi started off, his heart heavy.

"In the few years I've known you Eraqus," said Uther, drawing in close, "I've never known you to lie to someone before."

Eraqus glanced at the man. "Truth be told my friend, I don't know if I'm lying are not. We've never bothered to really measure the pull distance of the Keyblade on the Heartless."

Uther gave him a knowing look.

Eraqus sighed. "That girl's light is like a beacon Uther. I do not know if she realizes how much she shines in the darkness."

"And the darkness cannot help but be drawn in towards that light," muttered Uther.

"Pair that with a Keyblade and, well, it would be impossible for something like _her_ to not be drawn towards Kairi," said Eraqus heavily, "It's why we wont be staying here long past the exercise I have planned for her."

They started walking a ways behind Kairi as she and two of Uther's men started heading towards town.

"Yet, no fault should be levied on the child," said Eraqus, "She cannot help what she is, nor help the fact that it was Aqua that made the choice to perform the ceremony on her."

Uther gave Eraqus a curious look. "I thought Sora was your former apprentice's chosen one."

"They both were, we just didn't know Aqua had chosen another, or rather, I didn't," said Eraqus, a little cross, "Terra never mentioned until Kairi was found that he had known of another that Aqua had chosen. He thought she had been lost to darkness."

Uther nodded. "I see."

Uther pulled a purple gem out of his pocket, one of Yen Sid's communication devices. "So, you said you had a training exercise in mind for your new apprentice when you called?"

Eraqus nodded. "Is Arthas in Brill like I asked?"

Uther looked contemplative. "He is..."

Eraqus chuckled. "You told me there was a caravan being shipped out today?"

Uther frowned. "Yes, but, it's to Strathlome."

Eraqus merely smiled softly. "That's fine."

Uther gave him a critical look. "She may know how to fight, but, she has the look of a green apprentice about her. You cant truly expect her to handle a caravan through the Shadowlands to Strathlome on her own."

"She wont be on her own, we'll be sending Arthas with her, and I'll be watching from afar in-case something goes wrong," said Eraqus.

Uther rubbed his nose and sighed. "I see what you're up to."

"That obvious my friend?" asked Eraqus with amusement.

"Arthas... is a lesson many can learn from," said Uther heavily, "Thankfully, not a worse lesson than he could have been if not for Sora."

Eraqus smiled softly at that, but didn't respond. Instead, he focused on Kairi as she came across more Heartless. He watched as an outside observer she fought them. A frown formed on his face. The cold look on her face as she tore into the Heartless, the barely contained rage and fear, she hated the Heartless. It was far more than simple disgust or dislike of the dark creatures. If her heart had any darkness in it, he'd have been concerned about her awakening and succumbing to it.

Yet...

Perhaps she could still succumb, in a different way. He held a hand up to the scar Aqua had left, remembering her words to him...

_Xehanort was right on one thing at least. You can succumb to the light after all. That you... that you would try to murder Ven in cold blood..._

Eraqus closed his eye painfully at the memory before banishing it with a slight shake of his head. He'd be sure to not let Kairi make the same mistakes he had. He supposed, even with her Heartless tearing through the worlds, he still owed it to Aqua to train her chosen apprentice as best he could...


	9. First Mission

Kairi walked through a fortified gate into the town of Brill with the two armored men, who had briefly introduced themselves as Marwyn and Falric, at her side. She could admit, these two men were good, like, _really_ good. Veterans of battle, they had carved through the Heartless and more than kept up with her. To be honest, if it weren't for her light, they'd both be way better than she was at the moment.

"Umm, thanks for the help," she offered sheepishly.

They both salute and echoed one another. "Our pleasure young Keybearer."

Kairi blinked a few times and watched them head for the center of town. "Huh..."

"Something the matter Kairi?" asked Eraqus as he walked to her side.

"It's just... strange... to be instantly given that kind of respect from complete strangers, especially when I didn't even do anything for them," she replied.

She glanced at Oathkeeper in her hand and sighed, "I wish this had come to me years ago. From the moment I went on my first patrol in Traverse Town, I had to struggle before anyone really gave me any kind of respect outside my family and friends."

Eraqus slowly shook his head. "While it is less stressful to have it right away, better and more sincere the respect you earn than the respect freely given."

"I dunno, you ever tried to break up a bar fight where no one will listen to a thing you say?" asked Kairi dryly.

"I believe you are to young to step foot in a tavern, child," said Uther, coming up on the other side.

Kairi shrugged. "Been breaking up fights, with or without help, since I was ten, among other things. To many people liked to drown their troubles in alcohol and take it out on others."

She scowled a bit. "Shoulda took that energy, joined the Guardians, and tried to help out instead of causing trouble."

Uther slowly shook his head and strode past. "If only."

"Hmm. Perhaps when there's time, I'll have to ask more about what your duties were in the 'Guardians'," said Eraqus, walking after Uther, "I might find myself surprised."

She followed in behind the two, her eyes roaming over the town as she did. It was surrounded by a heavy, fortified wall with archers patrolling it. The inside of the town was less imposing than the outside was. Townsfolk walked around and interacted with eachother... in a way she really wasn't used to seeing...

They just...

They looked happy...

There was no brooding depression, no pain hidden behind their eyes. While many did seem to be rough around the edges at first glance, none of the people here looked like the ones she'd find living on the streets or in the crowded houses in Traverse Town. Maybe it was just because they all still had their world, they still had their homes. They weren't the leftover survivors who had gotten lucky to live through their world being consumed.

It was... kind of uplifting, to see people actually living, rather than surviving.

She gripped Oathkeeper tightly. She'd do whatever it took to make sure the people here stayed living like this. Do whatever she had to do to wipe out anything and anyone who would misuse the darkness to harm them. So help her if _**IT** _ showed up here she'd try to fight it head on, just to safeguard a place like this.

"Good evening Lady Keybearer," said one of the townsmen as she passed.

"Umm, good evening," she offered back, a little uncertain.

A pleasant and welcome greeting, despite not actively being protecting him or doing anything for him at the moment, just like with the armored veterans...

She could get used to this.

She followed Uther and Eraqus, receiving her own fair share of friendly greetings, as they made for the center of town. There, several wagons were being loaded with supplies. A number of armored people were there helping out and standing guard. Falric and Marywn among them.

But, one in their number stood out a bit more than the rest. A man, armored similarly to Uther, just silver instead of gold, with a large giant lion crest as a belt-buckle. He had long blond hair, and the same blue eyes glowing with light. His presence felt stronger than those around him, brimming with light, though, not as much as Uther. He had a mighty warhammer strapped across his back. He held himself in a straighter, more strict and almost regal manner than those around them.

That regal air about him however did not stop him from helping to load the wagons. At least, until Uther walked over to the man in question.

"Arthas," greeted Uther warmly.

The man, Arthas, set down the box he was carrying and turned to shake Uther's hand. "Good to see you, Uther. Are our 'guests' here?"

Uther nodded and motioned to Eraqus and Kairi, and the two men strode over to them.

Eraqus spoke, "Kairi, I'd like you to meet Prince Arthas Menathil."

Kairi blinked a few times. A prince huh? Well, he was strong and good looking, so, he fit the bill there.

She tilted her head curtly. "Nice to meet you, Prince Arthas."

Arthas shook his head. "You can save the formalities for my father, I have no time for them."

He looked Kairi over, contemplative. "Hmph, at least you came armored."

He turned and resumed helping load the wagons. Kairi stood there, unsure if she had just been judged, and whether it was good or not. She looked back at Eraqus, but, he merely stood there, watching her. She frowned briefly, wondering what exactly she was supposed to be doing, before turning, dismissing her Keyblade, and deciding to help Arthas and the townsfolk load the wagons. She figured it had something to do with them.

When they finished, Eraqus walked up to her. "Kairi, you are to help Arthas escort the caravan to the city of Strathlome, without my assistance. This is both your mission, and training for today."

She had been about to ask 'That's it?' before she gave it a second thought. If they were constantly attacked by the number of Heartless she and Master Eraqus had been hit by upon their arrival...

This was going to be hell, worse than escorting the civilians back in Traverse Town.

"Alright," was all she said, her voice forcibly plain.

Uther pointed to the wagons. "The wagons contain supplies desperately needed by the people of Strathlome, cut off from the rest of Lordaeran as they are. Food, medical supplies, clothing, weapons, armor, and the like. A small detachment of footmen and riflemen will guard the wagons themselves from stray Heartless, however, it is up to you and Arthas to hold the attention of the majority. They are drawn to attack more readily those who wield the light than those who do not, especially if they have a Keyblade like yourself."

"For this mission, you are to follow Arthas's orders, understood?" asked Eraqus.

Kairi nodded.

"Good, then off with you, and remember Kairi, this is but a taste of what is required of Keybearers in this dark age. Do not lose sight of the light and what we fight for, no matter how hopeless it seems," warned Eraqus.

He... really wasn't inspiring confidence right now. "Okay."

With that, she summoned her Keyblade and strode out to stand a bit behind Arthas. The man looked over the wagon, the guards, Kairi, and then double checked his own equipment before starting for the east exit of the town.

"I will expect from you everything I would expect from Sora," said Arthas as they left the town, "We will fight ahead of the caravan, drawing the large majority of the Heartless to us. You will fight at my side, watching my back as I watch yours, and will not shirk that duty for your own personal sense of glory or from losing yourself in battle. These Heartless heathens can only triumph if they surround and overwhelm us. Are we clear?"

Kairi nodded slowly before asking, "Have you and Sora fought alongside one another a lot?"

Arthas gave her an 'are you serious look', "Did your Master tell you nothing of the history of this world?"

She shook her head.

Arthas sighed. "It's a topic for another time. We have our duty, as a Paladin and a Keybearer, to uphold. Be ready, it will begin soon, and it will not stop until we are behind the gates of Strathlome."

True to his word, the Heartless began coming for them after the town of Brill's gates disappeared from view. A thin trail of shadows at first, growing into a steady hoard. It was nothing a sweep of a light infused warhammer or Keyblade couldn't handle. But it was the fact that the numbers never let up that started playing on Kairi's nerves.

"You are tense, relax," ordered Arthas, bating a leaping Shadow away, "We have not yet reached the Shadowlands, these weak Heartless are nothing."

"Shadowlands...?" asked Kairi.

Arthas shook his head. "You will see, now relax."

What he was saying, and what they were doing, made her feel conflicted as hell. How was she supposed to relax, supposed to 'take it easy and hold back' against the monsters trying to rip their hearts out? She understood trying to conserve energy, but if they didn't clear out the Shadows as fast as they could they'd get overwhelmed...

Kairi took a deep breath and slowly let it out, focusing and sweeping Oathkeeper back and forth in wide arcs, slicing as many Shadows apart as she could with each stroke. They continued like this for another ten minutes, until a narrow, but short pass through a set of mountains appeared.

"We've reached the Bulwark," said Arthas, smashing his hammer down on the ground and releasing a nova of light.

It obliterated all nearby Shadows for the moment as he turned to explain, "After we pass through here, we will be in the Western Shadowlands. The Heartless presence will grow exponentially, and grow again when we reach the Eastern Shadowlands. Our course will remain steady through the Western part, and then the Caravan will kick into top speed on the Eastern part. Watch my back, I'll watch yours, have faith in the light, and whatever you do, don't stop moving once we pass into the Eastern Shadowlands."

Kairi nodded, but didn't have a chance to respond as the Shadows returned. In addition, stronger Heartless started spilling out towards them from the east. Neoshadows, Flutterings, Earth Cores, and a few Purebloods Kairi had never seen before. Floating Heartless wrapped in water, and fire Heartless that shot fireballs at them. Things got hectic, real fast.

"Deal with the flyers, I'll take point!" yelled Arthas, his warhammer swinging in a wide sweep, unleashing a wave of light, obliterating the current hoard in front of them, only for more to take their place.

Kairi hesitated for only a moment before stepping back and aiming her hand into the sky, releasing Pearl spells one after another. She was really glade the spell homed in by default, because she was a piss poor shot. Still, she wished she knew something that had a more 'instant' effect, rather than waiting for the missile to hit. She made do with what she had, clearing the skies one Heartless at a time, while trying to keep an eye out to make sure nothing came at Arthas from behind.

She could admit, the man absorbed damage like nobody's business. He could form a impenetrable barrier of light around himself, and heal with a burst of light. Not to mention his tough build and armor. She considered it lucky most of the focus was on him, she didn't think she could take the kind of punishment he could, not yet at least, not on her first mission...

And...

Wait... what...?

Kairi's eyes went wide with open shock, looking to the north, into what looked like a field for growing crops. Or rather, what had once been a field. The inner part was a huge purple and black blotch of darkness that Heartless rose out of. It was like a taint, slowly eating away at the ground and spreading at a snails pace, as if...

"A-as if it were slowly t-trying to consume the world," she whispered, shaken.

"Focus Kairi!" called back Arthas.

Kairi shook her head, did a quick check of the skies for Heartless, before rushing to catch up and cover Arthas's back. "Sorry!"

Arthas didn't respond, to busy smashing his warhammer into one Heartless after another. They continued, cutting through the ranks of Heartless, step by step. They passed a second field that was covered by the dark ooze, before continuing on.

"Isn't there some way to just banish that darkness?" she called out.

"It always comes back," was all he spared, "Focus on the mission at hand!"

"Sorry," she muttered.

By the time they passed a third darkness tainted field, and a bridge came in sight over in the distance, Kairi's arms were feeling heavier and heavier with each swing of her Keyblade. She didn't think she had enough energy for anymore Pearl spells. Exhaustion was starting to set it, she didn't think she had destroyed as many Heartless in her entire life as she had since coming to this world. It was insanity...

"Once we pass the bridge, we're in the Eastern Shadowlands," warned Arthas, "Be ready to run."

Kairi could see it, no, she could _FEEL_ it. Off in the distance, the sky turned dark, with a purple tint to it. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up on end. The feeling of darkness that they were heading towards felt _immense_. She couldn't help but shiver.

"Remember what I told you Kairi, have faith in the light," said Arthas as they fought to the bridge that she assumed divided the two Shadowlands.

Arthas stopped moving and waited for the caravan to catch up before yelling, "Full speed! Stay to the path, and remember, we stand for the _LIGHT_!"

Powerful light shot out from Arthas at his last word. It went to each and every person, each and every wagon, and wrapped them in a shield of light similar to the one he had used along the way. It didn't feel as strong as the one he had personally used, but then again, he was using it to defend them all. Without a word they took off at top speed, Arthas in the lead followed by Kairi and then the caravan.

The moment they crossed over, Kairi wanted to gag. The stench of darkness was overwhelming. A dark haze hung through the air. There were splotches of darkness everywhere. Trees were bent and twisted, showing unnatural colors. Every Heartless was larger and stronger here, even the regular Shadows. Kairi was horrified when Oathkeeper no longer killed the weakest of Heartless in a single hit. She understood, the darkness was too strong here, if they stopped to fight, they were dead.

Kairi suckered in a breath, tapped as deep as she could currently go into her own power, and pulled it out. An aura of light radiated off her, engulfing her Keyblade and body in it's warmth. She rushed to run at Arthas's side, rather than behind him, and helped to carve through the Heartless rushing towards them. They passed the ruined remains of a tower to the north, and the ruins of a town swamped in darkness to the south, she briefly caught sight of a sign that said 'Darrowshire'.

Once they were passed that, they entered into a large open area with another ruined town off in the distance. However, what caught her eye, and mortified her, was to the southeast...

"By the light," she whispered in horror.

To the far southeast was a massive wall, that she could faintly see was maned by archers and other warriors. But, completely cutting the wall off was a wasteland of darkness. There was no way to cut across it without stepping into the murky ooze. In the space between the Caravan and the wall, were dozens of Darkside Heartless, legions of lesser Heartless, and something that...

She shivered.

Something that reminded her of those tendrils that had ripped out the hearts of her friends and families in Traverse Town. It was like a swirling red amalgamation of Shadow Heartless, constantly spinning and churning as a connected mass, flying through the air and slamming into the wall and attacking it's defenders. There were many of them, some attacking, some just moving through the dark wasteland, churning up more and more Shadows.

"Arthas...," began Kairi.

"The fortress city of Tyr's Hand can hold its own, always has always will," yelled Arthas, "Just focus on running! If a Demon Tower turns on us and catches up the caravan is lost, just _MOVE_!"

Demon Tower? Was that what those masses of Shadows were called? She shivered and put on an extra burst of speed, swinging Oathkeeper faster and faster. She could feel those 'Demon Towers', and her senses told her she was not strong enough yet to fight even one of them, let alone dozens. Hell, she didn't think that if she stopped to fight, that she could even handle the regular Heartless here...

Kairi staggered as an enlarged Earth Core Heartless rammed into her side, cracking the barrier of light Arthas had formed around her. She aimed a hand and blasted it point blank with a Pearl spell, sending it staggering in return. She tripped over a Shadow and scrambled, trying to keep her balance...

"How much further?!" she cried out.

"We've only passed Corrin's Crossing, we're only half way through the Eastern Shadowlands," said Arthas.

Only half way?!

Kairi turned her head at the sound of a yelp, sighting that some of the Heartless had started attacking the barrier of light surrounding the caravan. "Arthas..."

"We cannot stop," he warned.

_Skitter skitter_

Kairi turned her head and gave a strangled cry, seeing one of the Demon Towers start to head towards them. "Arthas!"

"Shit," was all Arthas said.

Kairi felt a spike of fear when the Demon Tower surged into the air, and flew...

Straight at her!

It slammed into the barrier Arthas had made, shattering it and sending Kairi flying. She landed in a heap a ways away and rolled along the ground, coming to a stop and groaning. She glanced up in time to see the Demon Tower flying down for her.

She gave a scream and aimed her Keyblade at it, acting on instinct. Chains of light burst from her Keyblade and confined the Heartless, chaining it in a mass of Shadows that squirmed and tried to get out, bucking and rolling along the ground.

Kairi stared at it in surprise for a moment before a Neoshadow ripped at her from behind, it's claws screeching along her Keyblade armor. She staggered forward and took off running. The sound of 'cracking' was already filling the air. That prison she had trapped the Demon Tower in wouldn't last long. She ran as fast as she could, her breathing heavily labored, before she caught up to the caravan, and then to Arthas with another burst of speed.

She was a bit miffed he hadn't stopped to help, but, she knew it would only have gotten him and the caravan killed.

Arthas glanced back at her and gave a brief nod before refocusing on battering his way through the Heartless coming from the north.

_SHATTER_

Kairi looked back, sighting the Demon Tower off in the distance break free of it's chains. She didn't think she had it in her to do that again, the aura of light that had surrounded her before was all but spent and gone. As it was, she didn't know what she was running on anymore, her entire body ached and her legs felt numb. If that thing got her again, especially without Arthas's shield, she was done...

They passed into a darkened wood, all the trees blotched black and purple. Only the path they ran along wasn't tainted by the darkness.

_Skitter skitter_

Kairi's heart felt like it was going to explode up her throat and out her mouth at the sound. She glanced back, the Demon Tower was getting closer, swirling along the ground after them. Fear and panic tore at her at the sight, she hadn't survived Traverse Town just to die to that thing!

The Heartless mass closed in as they left the woods and closed in on a bridge leading into a huge city that was manned by a number of troops and people dressed like Arthas and Uther. One of them took sight of the Demon Tower chasing them and burst forward, drawing a two-handed sword unlike anything she had ever seen from his back. A red, silver, and yellow handle. The part connecting the grip and the sword was shaped like a L. The blade itself was silvery, with some kind of rune word etched into it. At the far end of the blade was a glowing disk of light, yellow, with an open palm carved into it. The sword shined with immense light as it and it's wielder rushed forward...

The man burst past Kairi and Arthas and met the Demon Tower head on. Kairi was shocked as his blade melted through the Heartless mass and destroyed it in a single hit.

Just... who was that...? What was that sword...?

The man covered the bridge alone, allowing the caravan to pass the rest of the way unhindered. Kairi collapsed against the stone wall of the gate, her Keyblade clattering against the ground. She struggled to catch her breath, panting without end. She raised her head and watched the unidentified man carve through the Heartless that had been pursuing them. He did it with ease...

The man was tall, with red hair and full facial hair, a mustache, a beard, and sideburns connecting it all. He was in heavy armor, more covered than either Uther or Arthas had been. His presence was powerful, she swore he seemed even stronger than Uther, or even Eraqus. Though, she hadn't seen either of those two men cut loose and unleash their full power. And his sword... she was sure it wasn't a Keyblade, but, it felt like no ordinary weapon...

"The Ashbringer is quite impressive," said Arthas as he moved to lean against the wall next to her.

"Is that... the name of... the sword?" she asked through her breaths.

Arthas thought for a moment. "Both, the name of the sword, and the tittle of the man who wields it. Alexandrous Mograine, the Ashbringer, one of the greatest paladins currently in our order. Come, this is no place to rest. Let's leave Alexandrous to the defense of the city and find ourselves a place to eat and rest."

Kairi struggled to her feet, accepting a hand Arthas offered, and banished her Keyblade before walking in after him. He led her through the bustling city, and into a tavern. She sat at a table and set her head down on it.

"Ugh...," was all she could said.

Arthas chuckled. "Answer me honestly, was that your first mission as a Keybearer? You seemed even more raw than Sora was when I first met him."

She merely nodded.

"Hmm, not what I would send a green apprentice out on, but, as I understand it the state of the worlds as a whole doesn't allow much choice," mused Arthas.

A waiter walked up to them. "What can I get ya'll?"

"Water and the house special for the both of us," said Arthas.

The waiter returned a moment later with glasses of water and left to go prepare their food. Kairi gulped down the water as if it were life or death, savoring the coldness going down her throat.

Kairi sat back up in her chair and sighed. "That was... I... had no idea just how bad the worlds truly were. That darkness that was out in the Shadowlands... it was like it was eating the world..."

Arthas nodded. "It tries to, but, the presence of the light and our faith in it, slows the darkness, and if we put in enough effort, can temporarily reverse it's effects."

"How did it all get like this Arthas?" she asked.

A briefly pained look crossed the man's face. "That's right, you know nothing of this world..."

He sighed. "It began about five years ago for us, back when the Heartless weren't our biggest concern..."

"What?" she said in disbelief.

A grim look crossed Arthas's face. "Back then, we were under assault by an evil known as the Scourge. Like the Heartless, any the Scourge killed could be converted into new soldiers for their army, however, it wasn't the same. They didn't use the hearts of people to do so, the Scourge took their dead bodies and minds, corrupting them and turning them into what we called the 'undead'. They enslaved my people, and turned them against the rest of us."

Kairi gave him a very disturbed look.

Arthas rubbed his forehead. "It... was a very bleak time Kairi, and a time I am not proud of."

He held up a hand, a brief glow of light around it. "There was a time that I lost faith in the light, and if not for the light of one nine year old boy, I might have lost myself to the Scourge and my own quest for revenge against them..."

"Sora?" asked Kairi.

Arthas nodded. "He wasn't supposed to come with us, but, he 'followed his heart' as he said. He left his Master's side as we were tasked to investigate a 'plague' that had been spreading. By the time we discovered him, it was to late to take him back. Not that he didn't pull his weight even as a boy. That Keyblade was just as effective against the darkness of the Scourge as it is the darkness of the Heartless. Not to mention, as an offworlder, he was immune to the effects of the Plague of Undeath."

"We fought together, at Hearthglen, against a seemingly endless tide of the Scourge. He earned my respect there. Even when Uther and Eraqus arrived, to scold the both of us for our brashness, he stuck with me when I rushed to Strathlome," said Arthas, respect in his voice.

"He... I...," began Arthas before pausing to sigh heavily.

"The Plague of Undeath was spread through grain, and I had seen that it had been distributed into Strathlome, so lost in myself, in my rage against the Scourge, I had wanted to... to purge the city before it could be turned," said Arthas quietly.

Kairi stared at him uneasily. "Arthas..."

He slowly shook his head. "Sora tried to talk me out of it, and then knocked some sense into me when I refused to heed his words."

Arthas laughed. "I was never so humiliated as to be beaten by an nine year old boy, but, it only served to prove how addled I was at the time, how little I was thinking things through, my state of mind was nowhere near it's peak condition. Still, it was for the best, because as it turned out, more than half of the city hadn't even eaten the grain yet. I... I would have purged the innocent right alongside the damned if he hadn't stopped me."

"It still wasn't enough for me though, enough to still my anger at the Scourge. Back when our world was still pristine, when the majority of it hadn't been consumed and fallen into darkness, there used to be a continent up to the far north. I sailed there, searched to bring an end to the Scourge no matter the cost...," began Arthas.

"Let me guess, Sora followed you again?" asked Kairi.

Arthas closed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, that boy could see right through the mess that was my mind and heart. He followed me into the bitter cold north, and, at the last moment, when I was about to throw my body and soul away for a cursed blade, thinking it could strike down the undead and save my people from them, he saved me from myself, again."

"If there is one piece of advice I can offer you Kairi, it's to never let yourself become consumed. Whether its by the darkness, an ideal, a desire, or in the pursuit of vengeance. It will leave you with nothing in the end if someone isn't there to pull you back," warned Arthas heavily.

Arthas grew quiet, saying nothing more. The waiter brought them their food, and they ate in silence. Kairi wasn't sure what exactly to make of the story, or of Arthas for that matter. His advice, she wondered, was that something Master Aqua would have taught her?

When they were finished, Arthas resumed speaking, "The Scourge didn't last much longer, not in the face of the Heartless that were growing stronger day by day. The Heartless eventually consumed them. Places that had been heavily infested by the Scourge, or were infected by their plague, were consumed and turned to darkness. You saw it out there, the dark taint everywhere. We were in the middle of the war against the Scourge when it just happened, the Scourge fell, and the Heartless assaulted our world. So much of it collapsed in so quick a time. Lordaeron is all that's left, all that remains is the Capital City, Brill, Tyr's Hand, and Strathlome. They are the last bastions of the light here in our world."

"But, so long as we hold our faith in the light, the darkness will never triumph here," said Arthas, "Especially with the Keyhole sealed, courtesy of you Keybearers."

Perhaps it was a bitter thought, but, she wasn't so sure his words would hold up if **_IT_ ** showed up on this world...

He chuckled. "We owe so much to your kind. Our world owes the Keybearers, I owe Sora, Uther owes Eraqus, and even Alexandrous owes the boy Riku."

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed. "He does...? How could a guy that strong have needed anyone's help?"

Arthas's face darkened. "When your own family turns to darkness and tries to stab you in the back, you need someone to turn to."

Kairi stared at him blankly.

Arthas slowly shook his head. "One of Alexandrous's sons, Renault, fell to darkness, turned on him, lured him into a trap in the heart of the Shadowlands, the part you saw that was teeming with Darksides and Demon towers before Tyr's Hand, and tried to murder him in cold blood after Alexandrous barely defeated the trap. If not for Riku, the Ashbringer wouldn't be with us today."

Kairi felt sickened. "That's..."

Arthas merely nodded, neither of them saying anything more, the distaste on their faces more than apparent their opinion. The mere thought of it, of family betraying one another, was appalling. She didn't ever want to have imagined Leon's sword or Yuffie's shuriken against her throat, well, not that they were around anymore...

Kairi brooded for a few minutes before she felt a familiar presence near the tavern, and glanced at the door in time to see Eraqus walk in. The man nodded to her and beckoned her to follow.

"Until next time Keybearer," said Arthas, "Give Sora my greetings."

"Sure," said Kairi, standing up and wobbly making for the door.

Damn... even with food, a drink, and some time to rest she still had a hard time just walking after that. Eraqus was waiting for her outside, leaning against the tavern wall.

"You did well for your first mission, though, you could use work on your dodging abilities. I thought I was going to have to intervene after the Demon Tower hit you," appraised Eraqus.

Kairi blinked a few times. "You... were watching?"

He nodded. "I was flying high above on my glider. If need be, I would have stepped in, but, you impressed me by trapping that Heartless. That's not an easy feat."

Kairi crossed her arms and scowled. "If you say so. That Ashbringer guy killed that thing in one hit..."

Eraqus chuckled and stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're just starting out your career as a Keybearer, Kairi. You can't expect to be able to do everything instantly by yourself. Come, were returning home. You look like you could use some rest. You will ache for awhile, but when you've recovered, you'll find yourself having improved quite a bit in strength."

Kairi merely nodded absentmindedly and summoned her glider as he summoned his. They took off without another word. The several hour flight back nearly put her to sleep, tired as she was. She turned down the prospect of dinner, bid Eraqus good night, went to her room, climbed into bed, and was out like a light instantly.

* * *


	10. Fallen Dragons

"Kairi, you gonna sleep all day?" came a teasing voice.

Kair groaned and rolled over, pulling her blanket over her head. "Five more minutes Leon..."

"Leon...?" questioned the voice.

Kairi blinked a few times and pulled her blanket back down, glancing sleepily at a boy standing next to her bed. "Hrm...?"

She gave a start and sat up, growing peeved. "Sora! What are you doing in my room..."

She winced as her shoulders, back, and armed throbbed painfully. "Oww..."

Sora gave her a grin. "The day after a tough mission, or well, your first, is always 'fun'. Nothing but aches. Anyway, it's about noon, you're gonna miss lunch."

Kairi sighed and shoved off the rest of her blanket before slowly standing up, cringing a bit. "Ugh..."

"You slept in your armor?" said Sora with amusement, "That tired you couldn't even will it off?"

Kairi shrugged. "Would have slept with it on anyway."

Sora gave her a confused look. "Why?"

Because it made her feel safe...

She didn't answer the question aloud, and instead walked past him and out the door, making for the dinning hall.

"So, whose Leon again?" asked Sora curiously. following her out.

"Adoptive dad," she murmured.

"Your dad huh? What's he like?" asked Sora.

Kairi went silent for a moment before answering tiredly, "It doesn't honestly matter now, he's gone."

"Oh... right...," came Sora's awkward reply, "Well, what was he like?"

"Why does it matter?" she asked bitterly.

"Why not? You can't tell me you want to forget about him, he was your dad, adoptive or not, so, what was he like?" pestered Sora.

Well... she supposed not...

"Serious and strict, distant and not often there, but he always tried to make time when it actually mattered, he did care," she answered softly, "He just had a lot on his plate trying to run the Guardians of Traverse Town."

"I see, what about uh... what did you say her name was... Yaffle?" asked Sora.

Kairi snorted at that name mix up. "It's Yuffie, or if you asked her, the Great Ninja Yuffie. She could be described in three words: Roaming Random Kleptomaniac."

"Uh...," said Sora, a baffled look on his face.

"Mom was... a conundrum. Cheerful one moment, deadly serious the other, she could change her attitude in seconds, and was not someone to be pissed off, because she got even. She had trouble staying still, loved to wander about. Whenever we stuck her on radio duty, she called it cruel and unusual punishment, though whether that was directed towards her, or us having to listen to her talk none-stop, I'm not exactly sure. She had a major 'problem' with stealing, even after becoming a Guardian. Though, her thievery was probably the main reason we didn't starve before dad formed the Guardians of Traverse Town," explained Kairi softly.

"Well, thief or not, she sounded like a good person at heart," said Sora.

"She was," was Kairi's reply.

"What about your friends?" asked Sora.

Kairi stopped moving, an image of the tendrils of darkness ripping out her friends and family's hearts playing through her mind. "..."

"Kairi?" asked Sora, stopping behind her.

She rubbed her forehead and shook her head. "Forget it, I don't want to talk about them."

"Huh? Why not?" asked Sora.

Kairi turned her head to give him a full on glare. "I said drop it!"

Sora winced at her tone and scratched the back of his head. "Okay... sorry..."

Kairi resumed walking to the dinning hall, noting that everyone but Mickey and Yen Sid were there. She moved to sit opposite of Master Eraqus, watching quietly as the Princesses of Heart brought out food and talked amongst themselves. The masters and Riku seemed oddly quiet. Sora, to her annoyance, sat down next to her, but, she paid him no mind.

"Something wrong?" Kairi asked the masters.

Terra brought a hand up to rub his chin. "We're not sure exactly. We're waiting for Mickey and Yen Sid to get back from the tower with their observation."

"Observation of what?" asked Kairi.

"The stars," answered Ven, a contemplative look on his face.

"You mean the lack of them?" she asked dryly.

Ven rolled his eyes. "You can still see them from a telescope, or with Yen Sids magic."

"That's not exactly relieving," said Kairi.

"Are you going to be such a downer all the time?" jabbed Riku.

Kairi shot him a glare before Terra cleared his throat. "Apprentices..."

Kairi and Riku went quiet and ate quietly along with everyone else.

There was a brief flash of energy a minute after they finished. Yen Sid and Mickey arrived through a flash of magic.

"Well?" asked Terra.

Yen Sid nodded. "It would seem that my first observation was correct. The stars are as they were last night. Not a single one flickered out. Not a single world was lost between yesterday and today."

Kairi glanced around the table, a little confused why everyone looked so serious. "That's a good thing, right?"

"Gosh, were not really sure," admitted Mickey.

"There hasn't been a day in ten years that a star hasn't flickered out, hasn't been consumed by the Leader of the Heartless," explained Terra, "That thing stops for nothing, it does not sleep, it does not rest, it is relentless. It is always feeding."

Ven nodded. "So, the fact that it's not is... well... surprising."

"And worrying considering that it's presence is still present," said Eraqus, "This suggests something has changed."

"What and why?" asked Kairi.

"I dunno," said Sora, "I mean, I'm glad that the worlds got a break for once, but..."

Riku interrupted, "We don't know what has changed, but, the last world **_IT_ ** consumed was your world, Kairi."

Kairi frowned, noting that everyone was staring at her, she scowled and jabbed out bitterly, "Who knows, hopefully **_IT_** got indigestion feeding on my world, my friends, and my family."

She ignored the looks she got and turned to Eraqus. "So, what are we doing for training today? Visiting another world, or training here?"

Eraqus studied her for a moment. "How are you feeling after yesterday?"

Sore and exhausted, not that she'd admit to it. "I'm fine."

There was a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I doubt that, but if you say you are..."

"I am," she interrupted, she did _NOT_ want to be on her back resting all day when she could be out there making a difference.

He cleared his throat. "We will be heading to the Land of the Dragons after were done here then."

Good.

"I'll be waiting outside then," said Kairi, pushing her plate away, standing up, and leaving the room...

* * *

Sora watched her go, a frown on his face, before glancing at Eraqus. "Didn't you have me and Riku resting for a few days after our first mission?"

Eraqus nodded. "I did."

"Then why...," he began.

Terra sighed. "Sora, while your heart is your strength, you still have much to learn about understanding people. It would eat her alive to keep her here doing nothing but resting. She needs to be kept busy until she's adapted to her new life here. It was the same with you and Riku when you two first got here."

Sora tilted his head back in thought. "It was...?"

"Not that you'd remember you goofball," teased Ven, "Can you even remember what you had for breakfast yesterday?"

Sora stuck his tongue out at Ven. "Nuuuuh!"

Ven slowly shook his head, an amused smile on his face. "What are we going to do with you Sora?"

"Give him my chores?" asked Riku with fake innocence.

"No way! I hate doing dishes!" whined Sora.

Terra cleared his throat. "Anyway, Eraqus, what did you think of our newest wielder on her first mission?"

Sora turned his head to look at Eraqus, more than curious himself to wonder how she did.

Eraqus rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "In terms of fighting ability, she held her own, though she lacks a variety in her techniques, and she needs to learn to give only as much as a situation dictates."

"Huh?" said Sora.

"She needs to learn how to hold back and not waste energy on weak heartless," said Eraqus, "I'm honestly surprised that she was able to temporarily bind a Demon Tower after expending so much energy defending the caravan."

Sora stared blankly at Eraqus for a moment. Demon Tower?! Why was she anywhere near one of those, especially on her first mission? And wait, caravan...? He couldn't have meant Lordaeran, did he?

"Master Eraqus," Sora began politely, "What exactly was her first mission?"

"I had her work alongside Arthas Menethil to protect a caravan from Brill to Strathlome in Lordaeran," answered Eraqus.

Was he insane?!

Eraqus saw his look and frowned. "Sora, I was watching the entire time. If she hadn't chained the Demon Tower, I would have intervened."

"Chained...?" inquired Terra.

"She was able to form chains of light and temporarily bind it," explained Eraqus.

"Interesting," was Terra's reply.

A troubled look crossed Eraqus's face. "However, her disposition while fighting the heartless has me... concerned."

"How so?" asked Terra.

"She reminds me of myself, back when I was so blind," he answered honestly, "That hate for the heartless will do her no service. The heartless have a purpose, just not in the Realm of Light."

"The only one that deserve any real hate," said Riku bitterly, "Is Xehanort."

Terra gave Riku a look. "Mind your anger my apprentice."

Riku went passive, saying nothing. Sora wasn't fooled though, and he doubted the Masters were either. While he himself had his own grievances against the bald former Keyblade Master turned heartless, he didn't share Riku's hate for the man. It was the one ounce of darkness in Riku's light, one he and the others kept an eye on carefully, out of concern...

Though...

He wouldn't hesitate to take Xehanort down if he ever got the chance to. That man had hurt to many people and ruined to many lives, if not himself, then through others. As much as he didn't like to admit it, there were no second chances for a man like that, he had used them up a long time ago.

Hrm...

"Speaking of Xehanort...," said Sora, "Has anyone seen any sign of him lately? Seemed kind of quiet to me. It's mostly just been pureblood heartless for the last few months outside of the Emblem's usual spots."

Terra frowned and nodded slowly, "Agreed. He's been to quiet, he's up to something. Keep your eyes peeled while out on your missions."

Eraqus nodded and stood. "I suppose I had best be on my way."

Terra nodded. "Be safe."

Sora watched him go, contemplative, before sighing and leaning back in his chair. Kairi might not want to sit and rest after a tough mission, but he sure wasn't going to pass on the chance...

* * *

Kairi flew alongside Master Eraqus through the empty darkness of the Lanes Between, heading towards a star coming closer as the minutes passed by. It almost looked... like a red castle...? As they closed in, Kairi took note of how small the world seemed, a single castle, with a massive amount of darkness trying to rip through a barrier of light and get at it. Eraqus led her to the top of the barrier surrounding the castle. To her surprise, they passed through it unhindered.

Looking closer, it was a red and brown kind of palace. There was a large stone courtyard before it, surrounded by a huge red wall that the barrier of light rose from. All along the wall, and the palace itself, were hanging red lamps. The decoration and style... she had seen something somewhat like it before, on a few of the houses of refugees from other worlds. They called it oriental if she recalled right?

She and Eraqus set down in the courtyard. Unlike Lordaeran however... not one of the soldier's patrolling the courtyard, or manning the walls, paid them any heed. In fact... most seemed depressed looking, despairing... it tugged painfully on Kairi's heart to see this. She could feel a heightened amount of darkness in each and every one of them, trying to overtake and consume them.

She remembered what Eraqus had said about this world... that it was still slowly falling to darkness even though it's Keyhole had been sealed...

She followed Eraqus quietly into the palace, the guards standing by the main doors nodding curtly to them and swinging them open, but saying nothing else. Inside was a long hallway with red pillars and beautiful red curtains. Further down the hallway was a large set of red double doors with the symbol of a dragon on them. She briefly glanced to her left and right, sighting other hallways to go down, but Eraqus led her to the main doors.

"We should announce ourselves first to the Emperor and Empress," explained Eraqus.

She followed him and waited for the guards to open the doors. Inside was a grand room, with a small set of staircases leading up to two thrones...

Sitting on the right throne was a man who set Kairi on edge. His presence felt dark. He was balding, the black hair on the back of his head going down to rest over his shoulders and chest. He had heavy eyebrows, and a thing mustache. His eyes were black and yellow, with a strong set, almost arrogant face. He was... in a set of clothes that didn't match his look and feel in her opinion. They were elegant yellow and red furisode, the top and bottom connected by a black cloth and red the side of his throne was a curved blade, resting within a hand's reach.

Sitting on the left throne was a woman who had the opposite effect. The woman's presence felt kind, yet... extremely saddened. She had black hair down to her shoulders, a soft and kind face, yet, her black eyes seemed almost empty, hiding pain. Her full body dress had teal sleaves, a dark blue middle, with a dark red undershirt and bright red belt. The bottom of her dark blue gown had a gray look to it, barely hiding her black shoes. Like the man, she also had a curved sword next to her throne.

As if the swords weren't enough of a hint for her, Kairi could feel the strength emanating from these two.

Eraqus walked up the steps and stopped a bit before the thrones, bowing briefly. "Emperor Shaun Yu, Empress Fa Mulan."

Kairi followed suit, bowing briefly.

Shaun Yu nodded curtly and returned the greeting, though, there was no warmth in his voice, only a tint of respect. "Master Eraqus."

Fa Mulan gave him a brief smile. "Master Eraqus."

Shaun Yu's eyes flickered to Kairi. "And this is?"

"Our newest apprentice, her name is Kairi," offered Eraqus.

Shaun Yu looked at her briefly. "Hmph."

Kairi bristled a bit at being dismissed like that, but didn't speak out. She figured that probably wouldn't be appropriate.

Fa Mulan studied Kairi, a soft smile on her face. "It's been a long time since I've seen another warrior woman."

Shaun Yu frowned briefly at Fa Mulan. "Few woman are worthy to hold the title of warrior. You earned your tittle and my respect through blade and blood, until I see her do the same, she's just another fool."

Kairi stared at him, hard. Seriously? She hadn't dealt with someone dismissing her because she was a girl in ages, back before Traverse Town really exploded in population and trouble in the early days of the Guardians, even then, she kind of assumed it was more because of her young age...

The fact that there was a Heartless apocalypse going on kind of made things like gender, and age by default, moot points when everyone was ruthlessly consumed regardless of who or what they were...

"That I suppose is why were here," said Eraqus, "My apprentice will be on patrol while I watch and guide her."

Shaun Yu waved him off. "Go then. Patrol **_MY_ ** palace, keep it cleansed of the Heartless filth lurking in the shadows. Let's see if your new apprentice has any _merit_."

Eraqus bowed again and turned to leave. Kairi did not bow, she glared full force at Shaun Yu, who merely stared at her, amused. She turned and followed Eraqus out of the room.

"I don't like that guy," she muttered under her breath.

"None of us do, but, his leadership and power keep things in this world in order, while Mulan's heart and the faith her people have in her keep most of the remaining populous from succumbing to their darkness, those two are all this world and it's people have left keeping it afloat," explained Eraqus, "There is no love between the two of them, but they do what they must to safeguard what remains of their world."

Kairi nodded solemnly. "I see."

"The Heartless in this world within the palace are few in number, but clever and crafty," said Eraqus.

"Emblem Heartless I assume?" asked Kairi.

Eraqus frowned. "Yes... but... how did you know that?"

"Clever and crafty only describes them, not the purebloods," spat Kairi.

Eraqus held out a hand to cut her off and motioned her to stop. "Kairi, what exactly is your experience with Emblem Heartless?"

"They appeared all the time in Traverse Town...," began Kairi.

Eraqus frowned intently.

"...more-so than Purebloods except for shadows to be frank," she continued, "They'd pick off anyone they could that was by themselves, turning them into more Heartless. Sometimes, they'd group up and attack clusters of people."

Eraqus crossed his arms, deep in thought, murmuring quietly to himself. "If that is the case, and her primary foes in her youth were Emblem Heartless... does Xehanort know of her? He has to, so why would he have let her sit in Traverse Town unmarred? It makes no sense..."

"Um... I'm right here, and I've never seen that bald guy in person if that's what you're wondering," said Kairi.

Eraqus blinked a few times before shaking his head. "Forgive an old man his musings. Let us be on our way."

"Can I ask you something about Emblems and Purebloods?" she inquired.

"What is it?" he replied.

"I've never seen them together, is there a reason for that?" she asked.

Eraqus nodded slowly. "Both sides being dark does not necessarily mean they are allied. It's rare for us to come across it personally, but, they will kill eachother on sight."

That surprised Kairi. "Really?"

Eraqus nodded again. "Yes."

Interesting...

"Can we use that to our advantage?" she asked, "Is it possible to lure them into confrontations?"

He shook his head. "Not usually. Purebloods will seek them out as readily as a normal person with their heart, but the Emblem Heartless flee from them and are usually gone from any world that the Leader of the Heartless invades or sends it's minions too."

Hrm... now that he mentioned it, she hadn't seen any Emblem Heartless the night Traverse Town had fallen...

"Anyway, let us focus on the here and now. Your mission is to patrol the Imperial Palace, and destroy any heartless you can find," he instructed, "This will help teach you how to hunt down the darkness that upsets the balance and strike it down. As it was in Lordaeran, I will not intervene unless I have to. The purpose of these missions is to help you push yourself and grow."

Kairi nodded and took the lead. She half closed her eyes and stretched out her senses, feeling for the darkness of the Heartless. It wasn't that hard to feel them if she put effort into it. Their darkness was more bleak then the kind eating away at people from the inside. That darkness was their own after all. She made down the hall and into the nearest storage room.

Almost immediately, several Yellow Opras and a few Soldier Emblem Heartless jumped out from behind a few crates, ready to try and ambush her for her heart, sneaky bastards...

Except...

The Heartless stopped moving and simply stared at her, as if surprised.

Well that was a curious reaction, all more to her advantage though. She summoned Oathkeeper and tore into them with a grin on her face. They were like sitting ducks...

When she finished, she banished Oathkeeper and made for the next group she could feel off in the distance. She started enjoying herself, her grin ever present, softly humming to herself, as she picked off one group at a time, stalking them through the palace like they always stalked the people of Traverse Town. What comes around goes around, and she was more than happy and eager to be the one dishing out payback. She was no longer just another Guardian of Traverse Town. She was a Keybearer, she had a key, and she was going to grow stronger. She was going to wipe out the Heartless, all of them everywhere, like the pests and monsters they were...

"Kairi," spoke up Eraqus after a time, "Let us take a moment."

Kairi paused, frowned, and turned to him. "What is it?"

He motioned to a nearby room. "I'd like to talk to you in private about something."

She followed him. "Aren't we on a mission? There's still plenty of Heartless I can feel, they could hurt someone and..."

Eraqus closed the door behind them in a rather loud manner, making her go quiet. She turned to face him, noting a heavy, disapproving look on his face.

He crossed his arms and stared at her. "Kairi, why do you fight like you do?"

She blinked a few times. "Excuse me?"

"I let it slide in Lordaeran, because it was simply fear and hate, but now? You enjoy it, and not simply for the thrill of combat," he said, almost sounding like he was accusing her.

Kairi narrowed her eyes. "The Heartless are evil Master Eraqus, they deserve to be exterminated like they're trying to consume and exterminate us!"

That answer seemed to displease him, as he narrowed his eyes in return. "Kairi, Keybearers are defenders of the Realm of Light. While the current conflict has us going out and destroying the Heartless in bulk, we are not judge jury and executioner. If it weren't for the Heartless sweeping over the worlds, we wouldn't be interfering with them at all except to counter other outside influences."

Kairi looked at him, confounded. "But... we could use our Keyblades to make the worlds better places, be heroes that stamp out those who misuse the darkness..."

Eraqus's gaze hardened. "Kairi, I don't know what you define as a hero, but throwing around your power to make things the way you want them to be is not the way to be one. Even if your intentions by doing so are good."

She frowned at him intently. "..."

He walked over and half-knelt, putting his hands on her Kairi's shoulder. "Kairi, I tell you this because I don't want to see you make the same mistakes that I did. I used to loath and hate the darkness, all of it and anything that led to it, as much as you hate the Heartless. My foolishness... nearly cost me Ventus's life, the destruction of my home, and perhaps would have lost me Aqua far sooner than I did lose her."

She grew confused. "Huh?"

He shook his head. "In time you will learn of what I speak, for now, I ask that you please trust in my judgement. Fight not with anger and hate, nor with the desire to destroy or kill the darkness. Simply do what must be done. Defend the worlds and banish the darkness upsetting the balance, nothing more, nothing less. Do you understand?"

She bowed her head, growing frustrated. "How... can I? They took everything from me... my master, my home, my family, my friends..."

Eraqus sighed and squeezed her shoulders. "I know Kairi. That pain makes you want to lash out, but it will lead you to nothing but ruin, as it nearly did to me, and..."

He hesitated briefly, "As Xehanort likes to lord over and taunt us, as it did to Aqua."

Kairi gave a start. "Huh?! What do you mean?"

He shook his head. "She allowed her hate of him to blind her and lead her into a darkness she could not escape."

She stared at him, shocked and feeling lost. "Master Aqua..."

She trembled, struggling with her emotions. "M-master Eraqus... what... exactly happened to her? What did you mean by..."

Eraqus shook his head. "When I feel you're ready, I will tell you. Just please, heed my words, I could not bear to lose another apprentice to themselves, could not bear to see them, see you fall."

With that, he rose to his feet, turned, and left the room. She stared at the door silently, feeling lost and confused. She took a few minutes to struggle with and collect herself before she slowly made for the door, brooding silently. Just what had happened to Master Aqua? What were they keeping from her? The thought was angering, but...

Eraqus was waiting outside the door and motioned down the hall. Kairi resumed her hunt of the Heartless, but... for Master Aqua and Master Eraqus, she tried to reign her fury in. An hour flew by before suddenly...

She paused in the hallway. "They're gone."

"What do you mean?" asked Eraqus.

"All the Heartless just vanished out of the palace," said Kairi.

Eraqus crossed his arms. "Hmph, so Xehanort wishes to cut his losses then."

He studied Kairi briefly. "I'll admit, your ability to so easily detect the heartless and track them down is impressive. Not even Terra can so readily detect them at such a large range unless their presence is heavy in an area."

Kairi shrugged. "It's not hard, you just feel for the light, find the lack of it, and identify the kind of darkness it is."

Eraqus chuckled. "That you don't recognize the difficulty of what your saying is amusing, especially at range. Come, we will make our report to the Emperor and Empress then be on our way."

To her annoyance, Shaun Yu didn't seem to care for her efforts and dismissed them after the briefest of reports. Kairi _REALLY_ did not like the feel of that guy, but, she had to overlook it just like the others. They left the palace and made for the courtyard, readying their Keybade Gliders...

_ROAR! RIPPLE!_

Kairi turned her head, sighting to her suprise, a huge red and black dragon-like Pureblood Heartless flying outside the barrier protecting the palace area, smashing into it over and over again. "Woah..."

Eraqus sighed heavily. "Ah Mushu."

Kairi blinked a few times. "Mushu?"

"A former guardian spirit of Mulan's. He gave his last light to create the barrier protecting this place, afterwords, he turned into a Heartless," said Eraqus solemnly.

Kairi felt a pang of pity, and perhaps would have felt more, if the heartless in question wasn't staring hungrily at her. She shivered a bit and turned away.

"Master, if the Heartless are repelled by the barrier, how did the Emblems get in here?" she asked.

Eraqus frowned. "The Purebloods, while higher in number and stronger, are not as smart, nor are they directly led unless the Leader of the Heartless is nearby. They act on instinct without it's control. The Emblem Heartless were created by Xehanort to be smarter and more crafty, they can find ways into places you'd think were supposed to be safe, and Xehanort seems to be able to see and act through them actively, even if he's not on the world. We're not sure how to be honest."

"Oh...," was all she said in response.

They left the world and made their way home. Kairi ate dinner quietly and excused herself early when she was done, going to her room to lay down. The exhaustion of yesterday's mission and even today's simple one was really starting to set in. She flopped down, sighed once, and was out like a light...


	11. Memories and Reactions

Kairi gave a heavy yawn as she opened her eyes, sat up, and stretched. Wow, she felt a whole hell of a lot better than yesterday... wait what time was it?

The sun was shinning brightly through the window...

"Oh boy, I hope I didn't sleep to lunch again," she muttered.

Kairi was out the door in an instant...

Only to give an 'omph' and barrel right into Sora, both of them tumbling to the ground. "Oww."

"You know, being on the receiving end of a armored tackle kind of hurts," said Sora playfully.

"Well, don't stand outside my door then!" she said, rising to her feet.

"I was about to wake you up and give you some clothes to change into," he offered, holding a set of folded garments, "The wash-rooms are down the hall to your left."

Kairi grudgingly took the clothes and followed his directions. She could admit, it had been a few days since she got to relax in a tub, or even take a bath now that she thought about it. Ugh, she probably stank to high heaven, especially after fighting for the last few days. To her chagrin, she turned out to be correct once she had her armor willed off. However, the thought slipped her mind when she saw a certain bottle label near the tub in the bathroom...

"By the light... is that...? _BUBBLE BATH_!" she all but squealed in delight.

She was in the tub faster then she could blink, pouring a generous amount of the liquid into the water. She sank down below the growing number of bubbles and started playing with them. She hadn't had a bubble bath in years, such commodities had ran out a long time ago in Traverse Town. The thought saddened her briefly, how such a small thing like this could be so readily missed...

She frowned unhappily as another thought hit her. She ought to be getting ready to go out on a mission, rather than sit here enjoying herself when there were people and worlds out there she could be heading off to help...

She sighed a little miserably before forcing herself to wash-off and forgo the bubble bath, draining it when she was done. "Whatever... I'm not a little girl anymore anyway..."

Kairi looked over the clothes Sora had given here, a simple white cotton tunic and pants. They were fine, she didn't plan to drop her armor anyway once she was out of here. She clothed, activated her armor, and left the bathroom, grudgingly ready for the new day. She made her way to the dinning hall, only to pause when she noticed only Ventus and Sora were there out of the Keybearers.

"Where is Master Eraqus?" asked Kairi.

"Off with Terra and Riku," answered Ventus.

Kairi's face fell a bit. "He left me behind...?"

Ventus raised an eyebrow. "No, were alternating. You're with me and Sora today."

"Oh, whats our mission for today?" she asked.

Ventus pointed at a chair with a filled plate in front of it. "Nothing until you sit and eat, can't go out on an empty stomach can ya?"

Kairi scowled briefly and sat down to eat. She glanced at the clock in the room and resisted the urge to groan. She had slept to lunch again. She really couldn't make a habit of that, tired or not.

"Hey, no worries, our 'mission' isn't a big one anyway, we're on restocking duty," said Ventus.

Kairi grew confused. "Restocking?"

"Well, we don't grow enough food in the gardens to feed everyone here. We go to Disney Castle to pick up supplies every now and then. It's simple, but important if we don't want to starve," explained Ventus.

"Oh," she murmured.

Well... that wasn't exciting, challenging, or very impactful. But... she guessed it had to be done.

"Not to mention, you haven't been to there yet," said Sora, "Its like our second home when we cant make it back here, you ought to get a feel for it."

"Fair enough," she acknowledged.

She thought briefly. "Master Eraqus said it was Mickey's home right? Shouldn't he have been a part of this 'mission'? He could have easily shown me around to."

There was a heavy, awkward, and extremely uncomfortable silence. Ventus opened and closed his mouth a few times before scratching his head.

"Umm... Mickey hasn't been there in years, not since..." he began before stopping uncomfortably.

"Not since Minnie...," he continued before stopping again, a pained look on his face.

"Whose Minnie?" asked Kairi.

"She was Mickey's wife," said Sora softly.

Was.

"Oh...," she murmured, "What... happened to her?"

"Disney Castle used to be an entire world, not just a castle protected by the cornerstone. Minnie... fell to the Heartless while trying to help us defend Disney Town," said Sora with frustration, "We couldn't save her. When she faded, all the light went out of the area, the entirety of the world save for the castle started to fall apart and into the darkness."

Kairi felt it and saw Sora's happy demeanor break and fade into something bleak for the first time, and it left her feeling oddly unsettled, she might have knocked him for it before, but him not being happy did not seem right to her, at all. "It wasn't your fault..."

"She just... had the calmest look on her face as she went," Sora said unhappily.

Ventus stood up and walked over, putting a comforting hand on Sora's shoulder. "Mickey hasn't been back since, it's kind of to painful for him to go. He left the castle in the stewardship of his guard captain Goofy. Kairi, please don't ever mention Minnie to Mickey, or ask him about his home or early life. Not acknowledging it is one of the was he... copes with her loss."

Seeing that look on their faces made her feel awful for asking. "Okay... I won't, sorry..."

Ventus shook his head. "Ain't you're fault for being curious. It's probably better that you're told when Mickey isn't around anyway."

She felt hesitant to ask, but, "Is... there anything else like that I should know about?"

Ventus thought for a moment. "Well, I'm not sure I'd dig into the Princesses pasts, they all lost loved ones, but, aside from not getting Riku started on Xehanort, I guess not really."

Did... that mean she could ask about Master Aqua then? Ventus had been Master Aqua's friend... if there was anyone to ask about her, it would be him.

Kairi was hesitant to pry, but... she wanted to know, "Master Ventus..."

"Call me Ven, the only ones who call me Master Ventus are in trouble with me, or I'm in trouble with," he said in a teasing tone.

"Ven... what was Master Aqua like?" she asked honestly.

Ven frowned. "..."

"I only knew her for so short a time, she was a hero to me, caring, brave, willing to fight through unbelievable pain, but, I know so little about what she was actually like as a friend, on a day to day basis," said Kairi.

Ven moved back to his seat, looking lost deep in thought. "Aqua... well... I can't say I ever truly knew her."

Kairi stared at him, baffled. "What? But... you were her friend, right?"

Ven nodded, his face growing sad. "I was, but, I've had ten years to think on it Kairi. I think... I've come to realize that I never knew the real Aqua. The Aqua that Terra used to tell me about before Xehanort cracked her heart and messed her up, the Aqua I trained alongside for four years, the Aqua I briefly saw during our attempts to find her, and the Aqua I knew for that brief week after we thought Xehanort was done with, they were like four different people to me. I look back on those times, and I just feel lost."

He grew silent for a moment before smiling softly. "But... if there was one thing common to her no matter what state she was in, it was that she cared for her friends. She'd do anything for us, and always saw to us before herself. So that, beyond anything else Kairi, should be what you should know of her. That her friends were her drive, and her power deep down, regardless of her heart being light or dark. That's what I choose to remember about her."

Kairi wasn't sure she was fully satisfied with that answer, but, that fondness on his face as he remembered Master Aqua set her at ease and sated her for the time being.

"Anyway, let's be off," said Ven, shaking his head.

"Last one there's a rotten egg!" shouted Sora playfully, taking off.

"Oh no you don't!" said Ven, taking off after him with a grin.

Ven had to at least be roughly ten years Sora's senior, yet he was still as much of a kid as Sora was. Kairi slowly shook her head and ran after them, not to race, but to not get lost on her way to Disney Castle. They took off into the Lanes Between once they were out of the castle. Kairi watched, amused, as the two of them horsed around like brothers on their Gliders, bumping into eachother intentionally.

"Boys...," she muttered into her helmet visor.

She was briefly tempted to butt in and barrel through them, joining in on the fun, but, she didn't really know either of them and didn't want to offend. Not to mention, her Keyblade Glider 'raft' didn't look that sturdy in comparison to Sora's. Though, Ven's was just a surfboard of all things. Disney Castle came into view about an hour later. It was a large and majestic white castle with blue roofs and red flags. From what she could see as they approached, it had a large garden surrounding the castle. There was a large white gate surrounding it, and just like the Land of Dragons, there was a barrier of light emanating from it to wrap around the castle completely. Also like the Land of Dragons was the teeming darkness trying to puncture through the barrier. They passed through the barrier unhindered and landed in the courtyard, dismissing their gliders and armor, or at least Sora and Ventus did.

Kairi slowly took off and dismissed her helmet, glancing around, her senses buzzing. "Huh..."

"Something wrong Kairi?" asked Sora.

"I feel... a strange light...," she murmured, "It's all throughout the air. With every breath I'm taking it in, it's almost... overwhelming."

Sora blinked a few times. "Huh?"

"She means the cornerstone, Aurora said something like that when we brought her here from her home after rescuing her, must be a Princess of Heart thing," said Ven, "Though, she didn't seem that concerned with it."

Kairi contemplated his words briefly. "Hmm."

There was a strange sensation with the light. It felt like... a small piece of something much greater, it was hard to put a word around what it was.

"Can we see the Cornerstone while were here?" she asked.

Ven shrugged. "Up to Goofy."

"Who exactly is Goofy?" she asked.

Sora grinned. "My best bud aside from Riku and Ven. Goofy and Donald are awesome friends!"

"I'll take your word for it," she simply said.

"Let's go," said Ven, taking point.

The first thing that Kairi noticed, and stared at, were magical moving brooms and mops, keeping the castle clean and tidy. "Where do I get one of those?"

Sora laughed. "No kidding right?"

"You don't 'get one' because chores are good for you," teased Ven.

"She hasn't even done any chores yet," whined Sora.

Kairi glared at him. "Because no one's asked me to! I'm not dead weight, if the Masters have something for me to do then I'll do it!"

"Does that mean you'll take some of mine?" Sora asked hopefully, ignoring her glare.

Kairi narrowed her eyes. "Sora..."

"Easy there you two," scolded Ven.

Kairi grumbled under her breath and followed Ven and Sora down a red carpeted hall, only to pause as she saw nothing short of a walking duck with a wizards hat and a staff walking down the hall with three smaller ducks following him in similar garbs.

"Donald!" shouted Sora cheerfully, almost flying at the duck and tackle hugging him to the ground.

"Waaaaaaah! Sora!" exclaimed the duck, 'Donald'.

Huh... well... she had seen weirder things she guessed. Who was she to question a walking talking duck?

"Hey Huey, Dewey, and Louie," said Sora cheerfully to the three ducks behind donald.

"Hey Sora," they all answered at once.

Donald pushed Sora off gently and rose to his feet, dusting himself off. "What brings you here?"

"Aww c'mon, can't I have just come to see my friends?" said Sora with a pout.

Donald pointed towards Ven and Kairi. "With company?"

Sora grinned sheepishly. "Okay busted, supply run again."

Donald rolled his eyes and thumbed down the hall. "In the library like usual. Just ask the brooms and they'll take it to the courtyard."

"Thanks Donald, you're the best! So, where's Goofy?" asked Sora.

"On patrol," said Donald, "Where me and the boys should be right now."

"Awww uncle Donald," whined all three ducks at once.

"No butts!" said Donald, scolding them, before turning back to Sora, "Goofy should be back by the time the brooms get everything to the courtyard. See ya later Sora."

"See ya Donald!" said Sora cheerfully.

Donald and the smaller ducks started walking down the hall before Donald paused and glanced at Kairi. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kairi," she offered.

Donald blinked a few times and glanced back at Sora. "You _finally_ found her?"

Sora pouted. "Finally?"

"Only took you ten years," said Donald playfully.

Sora crossed his arms and huffed.

Donald had a wide smile on his face before he turned back and nodded to Kairi. "Nice to meet you Kairi. Sorry I can't stay and talk."

Kairi shook her head. "It's fine, I know all about patrolling. You get yelled at if you loiter and chat with anyone when your supposed to be on duty."

Donald nodded and started down the hall, the smaller ducks following.

"Seems nice enough," said Kairi.

"Only if you don't get him mad," whispered Sora, "Then he flips out and loses his feathers!"

"You say something Sora?" called back Donald.

"Nope! Nothing!" said Sora, immediately coming to attention.

"Dork," said Kairi, starting down the hall towards the library.

"Actually, I'll get things started on the supplies, why don't you two wait here for Goofy," suggested Ven.

Sora shrugged. "Sure."

Sora and Kairi moved to stand near a giant pinkish door with two mouse head symbols on it, waiting quietly. Kairi faced the door and looked slightly down. She could feel it... where that abnormal light, the Cornerstone, was. It felt... below the next room. Being even closer to it made her head feel a bit dizzy. Maybe it was just because it was her first time near it, but, it pulled at her in a strange way. She stepped forward, placing a hand against the door, feeling a strange sense of longing in her heart...

"You okay Kairi? You seem a bit... off," said Sora.

Kairi blinked a few times and shook her head. "I'm, uh, fine."

"If you say so," he said, shrugging and leaning against the wall.

Ven and a number of brooms carrying bags and small crates filtered past a few minutes later. Ven returned and waited with them.

Kairi glanced over at Ven, her thoughts returning to Master Aqua. "Ven... I'm sorry to keep pestering you..."

Ven waved a dismissive hand. "Go ahead, what is it?"

"What... was your happiest memory, of Master Aqua?" she asked.

Ven tilted his head back in thought. "Gosh, that's... a hard one. Hmm, if I really had to just pick one... I'd say when she gave me and Terra our Wayfinders."

He grew pained. "I wish I had told her just how much that actually meant to me..."

"Wayfinders...?" she asked.

She gave a small gasp when Ven pulled a necklace with a green version of Master Aqua's good-luck charm at the end of it. "That's... the thing that was on her mural... that she was holding in her heart..."

Ven smiled a bit at that. "She did say it was enchanted by an unbreakable connection."

Kairi grew sad for a moment. "I remember that... she seemed really sad when she said she had thrown it away. She seemed really lonely..."

Ven closed his eyes and sighed. "I remember when she did that. Terra and I... we really messed up back then. We should have tried to be more understanding, tried to find a different way to help her. She turned to the darkness to protect us, to protect me..."

He clutched the charm, the Wayfinder, closely to his chest. "Sometimes... when I've really needed the strength of my friends, I swear I can still feel her through this..."

Kairi studied him curiously before leaning her head back. "Well, Sora said she was the first to be consumed by the Leader of the Heartless, right?"

There was hesitation from Sora, he scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes. "Y-yeah..."

"Well, unless **_IT_ ** destroyed her heart, which I kind of doubt, it's probably still in there, right along with everyone elses," she murmured, the thought of her Master, her family, and her friends along with countless other people being trapped inside of _**IT** _ was a _very_ disturbing one.

"Even trapped in that kind of darkness, she'd still try to help you ought Ven," said Kairi softly.

Ven smiled a very sad smile. "Yeah, that would be like her, to worry about me instead of her own troubles."

Kairi frowned deeply, her hate towards **_IT_ ** growing. "If it's the last thing I can ever do for her... I'll kill **_IT_ ** and give my Master a proper rest, not one where's she's fed on as a source of power."

Ven looked at her, a odd, helpless look on his face. "Kairi..."

Ven looked away and sighed, saying nothing.

For a time, nothing more was said.

Kairi grew a bit restless. "Well, we can come back another time, I don't want the food to get spoiled waiting."

Ven waved a hand. "The containers are all enchanted against that kind of thing anyway. They have to be to take into the Lanes Between."

They waited for another few minutes before a loud, "Gawrsh," sounded.

Kairi glance down the hall to see an armored humanoid dog walking towards them, one hand holding a shield with a mouse emblem on it, the other scratching his head. "I hope you all weren't waiting all this time for me."

Sora bounded down the hall. "Goofy!"

Like Donald, Goofy got taken to the ground with a tackle hug. "A'huck! Nice to see you to Sora!"

Sora helped Goofy to his feet. "How have you been?"

Goofy shrugged. "Same as normal."

Sora nodded and motioned to Kairi. "Guess who I finally found?"

Goofy stared at her for a moment, scratching his head. "Red hair."

"Ahuh," said Sora.

"Blue eyes," said Goofy.

"Yep," said Sora.

"Shines with light," said Goofy.

"I'm not right now," interjected Kairi.

"You do if someone looks at you with their senses or their hearts," corrected Ven.

Kairi blinked. "I do?"

Ven gave her a teasing smile. "Yep."

"She must be that there Kairi you've been looking for!" said Goofy.

Sora grinned. "Yep!"

Goofy walked over and held out a hand. "Shucks, nice to meet you Kairi!"

Kairi took the hand and offered a polite, "Good to meet you as well," in return.

"Anyway, Kairi wanted to know if she could see the Cornerstone of Light," said Sora, "That okay with you?"

Goofy shrugged. "I don't see why not."

To Kairi's surprise, rather than open the huge pinkish door, a smaller door opened at the bottom of it that they went through. It lead into a rather obnoxiously long white throne room with a red carpet. Goofy walked to the throne at the end of the room and flicked a hidden switch, causing the platform the throne was on to shift, revealing a hidden staircase. They walked down it into a huge barren white chamber...

At the middle of it on a pedestal...

Was a large orb of swirling light that made Kairi's head spin...

"That there is the Cornerstone of Light, keeps all things evil out of the castle and keeps us safe," said Goofy.

_Thump thump_

So this was...

_Thump thump_

The Cornerstone of light?

_Thump thump_

"Uh, Kairi?" came a distant voice.

_Thump thump_

A hand gripped her shoulder. "Kairi, what are you doing?"

Kairi blinked and shook her head, coming out of a daze. "I..."

She found herself mere feet from the Cornerstone, her hand extending towards it, and the light of the Cornerstone starting to condense towards her. "What...?"

She glanced behind her to see Ven firmly holding her in place with his hand on her shoulder, a concerned look on his face. "Kairi?"

She took a step backwards, away from the Cornerstone. This was just like when she met the Princesses... this thing had a strange effect on her. She had been lost in it's warmth for a second, it wasn't an unwelcome sensation, but, it was frightening to not understand what was going on. She just... she wanted to touch it... to take in its light...

She found her hand raising towards the Cornerstone again before she shook her head again, forcefully pulled her arm back, taking another step back past Ven and turned away from that light, her body starting to shake. "I... don't think I should be here... I don't feel... feel... feel..."

Ven's concern doubled. "Sora!"

They had her by her arms before her legs could give out and hauled her out of the room, resting her against the throne after the sealed the hidden passage way again.

Kairi groaned and clutched her head, her body shivering. "I don't feel so good..."

"Jeez, she's all kinda pale," murmured Sora, "And sweating like crazy..."

Ven checked her pulse and looked her over, frowning. "If I didn't know any better, I'd almost say this looks kind of like... withdrawal...?"

"You're kidding, right?" said Sora, confounded, "Kairi, you don't do..."

"No!" she hissed out, a tremor in both her voice and hands, "I do _NOT_ do drugs!"

"Yeah, if she did, considering the reaction shes having now, it would have happened before this, but, why would the Cornerstone have that kind of affect on her?" said Ven with confusion, "It didn't do that to Aurora."

"The Cornerstone's light was moving towards Kairi too," said Goofy, scratching his head.

"Kairi, what did you feel?" asked Ven.

Kairi bowed her head. "Can we... get further away from it first, please?"

Ven nodded. "Let's go."

They helped her along and away from the Cornerstone, moving to the courtyard and helping her set down on a box of supplies.

"Well?" asked Ven.

"I... wanted to touch it," she murmured, "I don't really understand the sensation. It's like I wanted to... I don't know... take it in? That much light was... making my head feel all kinds of funny..."

Ven blinked a few times. "I... think I'm going to need to ask Aurora about this, it's way over my head. I don't think you should go near it again though."

"Agreed," she mumbled, "I don't like not being in control of myself. It's why I don't drink."

"Uh... you're like fourteen years old if I had to guess, you're not old enough too," said Ven, eyebrow raised.

Kairi shrugged. "I was a Guardian, rules didn't apply to us. Though Leon would have tanned my hide if he had caught me the one time I tried."

She made a distasteful face. "Rum tastes awful though, don't know why I let Sparrow talk me into it."

Ven made a very disapproving face. "This 'Sparrow' ought to get slapped upside the head for taking an underage girl drinking, or thrown in jail."

Kairi waved her hand. "He was a lazy bum, a greedy bastard, and an alcoholic, but he wasn't a pervert. In his own words, since we could get jumped by the Heartless anytime, he wanted to share what he called 'Life's greatest desire'. He was annoying, but..."

She smiled sadly. "Kind of grew on you overtime. Was fun as heck to scold him. It's sad to say I'm kind of starting to miss him, he never let anything phase him."

Ven gave her a curious look before shaking his head. "Alright, well, let's get the supplies on our gliders and get back home."

They summoned their gliders, loaded up, and were off in an instant. The moment they left Disney Castle, Kairi felt a bit better, before she suddenly started feeling drowsy and drained. She tiredly flew back with them to the Land of Departure. She helped them move the supplies into their storage before she bid them an early good night, to their surprise and concern. She waved them off before going to her room and flopping down on her bed.

"I, am never, going near that thing again," muttered Kairi before her eyes drooped and she passed out.

* * *

"So, any idea's Aurora?" asked Ven at the dinner table after explaining to the gathered Princesses and Masters what had happened with Kairi and the Cornerstone

Aurora looked troubled. "I'm... not entirely certain. You have to understand Ventus, there has never been a warrior Princess of Heart before, let alone a Keybearer one. She wasn't turned a fighter after the fact, she was raised as and molded her light to be that of a fighter from a very young age."

"I'm a bit concerned what would have happened had she touched it," said Eraqus warily, "Ventus said she mentioned wanting to 'take it in'? If it's what I suspect, and she instinctively tried to absorb that light..."

"She's far to inexperienced to handle what would have happened," said Terra solemnly, "It could have overwhelmed and harmed her for all we know, if not worse."

"Not to mention, left Disney Castle almost defenseless without the Cornerstone," said Riku, "Without it, that world would be swallowed whole by the darkness."

"Agreed," said Eraqus.

"Why did that even happen?" asked Sora, "I've never really asked, but, what _IS_ the Cornerstone exactly?"

Terra frowned briefly and glanced towards Mickey. "A good question."

Mickey didn't seem happy to be on the current subject, but, he spoke up, "We're not entirely sure ourselves. It's always been on our world, ever since the worlds were swallowed in darkness at the end of the Keyblade War if I had to guess. A few folk tales I can remember said it's a lingering remnant of a great light that fell to darkness at the end of the war."

Terra frowned intently. "If the Xehanort Reports were anything to go by... is there a chance it's a fragment of Kingdom Hearts itself?"

Mickey slowly shook his head. "I don't know Terra. But if even if it is, why would she react to it like that? Is there a connection between Kingdom Hearts and the Princesses of Heart?"

"I don't honestly know, we've never questioned our existence before," admitted Aurora, "We just are what we are, hearts of pure light that naturally repel the darkness. Or at least, the six of us here do, from what I can sense, Kairi doesn't repel the darkness strangely enough. She fights it instead. I'd almost say there's a pull effect rather than a repelling one, but, it's hard to tell, its small and hard to put a finger on."

Aurora tilted her head back in thought. "On the note of differences. When I was before the Cornerstone, I remember feeling warm and... a strange sense of wholeness, but, never what Kairi felt. Be near it? Yes I wanted to be close to it's light, but take it in? No. I'm not a warrior, I don't need to grow stronger."

There was a contemplative silence in the room.

"Question," said Sora, "If... she did take it in, could she beat...?"

Mickey sighed. "Sora, we thought about using the Cornerstone for that a long time ago. It's powerful, no darkness short of Aqua's or Xehanort's Heartlesses could hope to stand up to it. But, it's not strong enough to match up to Aqua's Heartless, it's not even close anymore."

"Oh...," Sora murmured, brief hope dashed.

"Even _IF_ it is a part of the greatest of lights," said Eraqus, "It is but a small fragment of the Heart of all Worlds, and that Heartless has eaten more worlds than what could possibly compose the Cornerstone."

"Regardless, taking Kairi back to Disney Castle is off limits for the immediate future," said Terra before clearing his throat. "Now, Eraqus, I'd like to take Kairi with me and Riku tomorrow, I have a mission in mind and a person I'd like her to meet that could be a rather good influence on her..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I tried googling around, and I haven't found a clear definition of WHAT exactly the Cornerstone of Light actually is, or where it came from. So, for the purpose of this story, the Cornerstone is a very small fragment of Kingdom Hearts.
> 
> Onto the next topic before anyone says it: The seven Princesses of Heart and the seven Guardians of Light are two things that left me a little baffled. The wiki says that the PoH are fragments of the X-Blade, but also says the same for the GoLs... so... which is it? Are they just stand ins for one another...?
> 
> Not to mention, the seven PoH also make the Keyblade of Hearts too? When they're supposed to be part of the X-Blade...?
> 
> It seems a whole lot of a confusing mess to me.
> 
> I actually had to waste a few hours re-reading wiki pages, following links, reading forums, and eventually go back and re-watch Dream Drop Distance cutscenes again to finally get the ACTUAL answer on this from Yen Sids mouth rather than risk releasing the chapter with potentially incorrect allusions:
> 
> Yen Sid said, "...And the light from the broken X-Blade was then divided into seven, to protect the number of pure hearts in the world."
> 
> Mickey then confirms that the seven pure hearts are the Princesses of Heart, as does Yen Sid, saying that they 'form the very source of all light in the world."
> 
> Which sounds an awful lot like what Kingdom Hearts does. ^_^
> 
> So yeah, the wiki is actually wrong (goes to show you can't always trust wikis V_V), and the 7 Guardians of Light/X-Blade fragments protect the 7 Princesses of Heart/Kingdom Hearts fragments(?), or there is a in-game lore conflict somewhere, or I'm just lost and confuddled...
> 
> Either way, I hope I haven't messed up before in Aqua: HOD or in this book by refreshing my game knowledge with wikis.
> 
> So to confirm for this series:
> 
> The seven Guardians of Light are the ones connected to the X-Blade, not the Princesses. (If it even gets up to the point where the 7 GoL are summoned in this series, who knows how things will turn out compared to cannon, especially when I don't have things from KH3 to draw from as concepts, :tease:)
> 
> The Princesses will be connected to the Keyblade of Hearts (not sure if that's even going to appear in this series) and thus Kingdom Hearts itself.
> 
> P.S: In addition to the time it took to research the X-Blade/Princesses of Heart, I had an awful time trying to come up with a name for this chapter. I still don't know if I like the current chapter title. I'm open to renaming ideas ^_^.


	12. Dark Contact

_*Knock knock knock*_

"Kairi, Get up!" called in a voice.

Kairi blinked a few times and groaned. "I'm up, I'm up..."

"Hurry it up," said the voice... Riku's?

Kairi sighed, shoved off her blankets, and glanced outside, noting the sun wasn't even up. "Well, at least I didn't sleep to lunch this time."

She got up and moved to the door, sighting Riku standing there impatiently. "Yes...?"

"You're with me and Master Terra today. We leave early, head to the dinning hall," he said before leaving.

Well... straight and to the point, she could deal with that. She followed him to the hall, sighting Terra and Aurora talking quietly to themselves at the table. The two of them nodded to the two apprentices and motioned to two already made plates.

"So, where are we going?" asked Kairi between bites.

"A world called Alexandria," said Terra, "I trust Eraqus has already told you of it?"

"Kind of, I know it used to be a bigger world, but not much else," she admitted.

Terra nodded. "I can recall, in the early days of the Heartless Invasion, that it used to be one of the larger worlds I had come across. Unfortunately, as Eraqus told you, that's not the case anymore. A castle, a town, a lake, and a the plains outside of the castle is all that remains of it."

Terra frowned briefly. "Alexandria is one of the more... active... worlds we visit."

"Active in what way?" Kairi asked.

"Heartless activity," said Terra, "About the only places worse are the Shadowlands in Lordaeran or a world actively being consumed. We visit Alexandria regularly, at least once a week or so, to help with the defense and give their champions time to rest and recover. We typically do a eight to twelve hour shifts there, giving them a full rest period."

Terra stared hard at her. "I will not pressure you into something you do not feel yourself ready for, this will be difficult and tiring, especially for a more raw apprentice. It is my belief that you can handle it, based off of what I've heard about your mission in Lordaeran and the Land of the Dragons, but it is your call. Eraqus has offered to have you stay and train here in techniques if you do not believe you are ready."

Riku spoke up, "This kind of mission is what we really do, not a one time thing like the caravan you protected in Lordaeran. Had it been anyone else but a new apprentice, we would have also stayed to help protect the towns for the rest of the day, or gone out to do more missions afterwards. This is the real deal, not practice run. We fight the darkness for as long as we are able."

If they thought they were scaring her off, they were sorely mistaken, _THIS_ is what she wanted, to actually make a difference. "When do we leave?"

Riku seemed a bit skeptical of her response and opened his mouth to speak, but Terra stood and answered, "Now."

Kairi followed them as they stood from the table and left, Terra continued to speak, "Depending on the state of things when we get there, we may or may not have you fight alongside us, or one of the world's champions."

"Such as...?" she asked.

"If she's not to exhausted, General Beatrix would be who I would want you paired with," said Terra.

General Beatrix huh?

"How strong is she?" asked Kairi.

A wry smile played across Terra's face. "Some things are best seen rather than heard. Come."

They took off into the Lanes Between and flew for a few hours. Kairi took note of how different they flew compared to Sora and Ven. Terra and Riku flew close, side by side, silent, never wavering from their trajectory. They did not second guess their path, or goof around, or even double-check on one another. It was easy for her to see that there was a level of comfortableness and trust the two had around eachother that spoke of many missions and trials gone through together. It reminded her a bit of the few times she had seen Leon and Cloud fight back to back, well, aside from the fighting part since they were just flying. But, she figured she'd see the same thing when they had their Keyblades drawn. They were a Master and Apprentice through and through...

It gave her a bitter pang of jealousy and grief. She wished that she could have had what they had, between herself and Master Aqua...

"If only if only," she muttered into her visor.

Kairi's brooding faded as their destination came into view. At a distance, she could see a castle, but unlike the last two she had seen, this one had a giant sword with wings sticking out of it up into the air emanating light, which was a rather unusual sight. From what she could tell, there was a city built around it, followed by a plains and a large purple and black mist surrounding the rest of the world... wait why were Terra and Riku speeding up?

She could feel apprehension radiating off them, but why were they...

_SHOCKWAVE!_

Kairi gave a yelp and hung onto her helmet as the winged castle pulsed its wings and released a burst of light that flooded over it's world. Kairi's eyes went wide with surprise as she stretched out her senses. The castle wasn't just a castle, it felt like some kind of powerful light entity of sorts. However, the presence and the glow faded as the wings retracted and disappeared, it's power appearing spent. As they approached the world, Kairi could feel, even at a distance, the darkness creeping back into the world.

They dove into the world and flew down to the city. Kairi could see a huge number of wounded people being gathered and tended to in the courtyard. She could see, she could feel, exhaustion radiating off the warriors here...

Thought curiously, she noted that almost every person in armor appeared to be a woman. Kind of unusual.

Terra leaped off his glider and walked to the nearest soldier. "What happened? Why was Alexander summoned?"

Kairi and Riku landed and moved to stand behind him as the woman scornfully replied, "Because you Keybearers are late as usual! It was Lord Amarant's turn on watch while the General and Queen rested. He was overwhelmed and consumed. Queen Garnet had no choice but to unleash the summon to repel a massive wave of Heartless that rushed at us with our fallen lord at it's helm."

Terra sighed heavily. "Amarant... dammit..."

Kairi kept quiet, a bit lost about who and what they were talking about.

"How is the Queen then?" asked Terra.

"Passed out after the summoning, she's under full guard while General Beatrix commands the defenses until she wakes up," answered the soldier.

Terra ran a hand through his hair. "I see, where is the general then?"

The soldier point towards the edge of town. "Manning the defenses and keeping watch for the next wave."

"That's where we'll be then," answered Terra.

"Hmph," was the soldiers reply, "Might as well make yourselves useful after the fact."

Kairi felt a bit uncertain, seeing how angry and frustrated the soldiers all seemed, especially towards them. She followed Terra and Riku silently...

"Don't let it phase you Kairi," said Terra quietly, "We can't have done anything for them because we weren't here, there's only so many Keybearers, and so much we can do. They're in pain and lashing out, don't take it personally."

"First Zidane, then Stiener, then Freya, then Eiko, now Amarant's gone too," said Riku, his eyes tightening a bit, "That leaves just Garenet and Beatrix as champions for this world. They're not going to last much longer at this rate. A year at best, a few weeks at worse."

Terra nodded solemnly. "We'll do what we can to buy them what time we may for them."

Kairi did her best to absorb the flurry of names, losses, and bleakness. "You guys have... fought here a lot, haven't you?"

Terra nodded. "We have. This is one of the few worlds that repelled the Leader of the Heartless early on. Alexander, when it was at it's full power called by the two summoners, was a force that _**IT** _ was not strong enough to best back then. But, the battle left a permanent stain on this world. There's an open tear to the Realm of Darkness, deep in the parts of this world swallowed by darkness."

"Summoners...?" asked Kairi.

"Queen Garnet is one, and Lady Eiko was the other," said Riku, "It's not like the summon gems we sometimes use. They summoned different and far more powerful entities than just lost heroes of the worlds."

Kairi blinked a few times. "Summon gems?"

Terra slowly shook his head. "There is much left to teach you Kairi. Don't worry, we'll get to covering everything when we can, for now, we offer our services to General Beatrix."

Kairi felt like her head was swimming a bit at the constant barrage of new terms, people, and things. "Okay... what about the tear to the... uh... Realm of Darkness? Can we seal it?"

Terra shook his head. "As I said, it's deep in the dark parts of this world."

He pointed off in the distance, past the plains of the castle, into the purple and black mist. "You can't venture into that without the mist using the darkness that lurks in your heart to destroy you. Even I can't resist it's effects for more than a few minutes at best before I have to fall back."

Kairi frowned briefly before offering, "What about me? Princesses of Heart don't have darkness in their hearts, right?"

Both Terra and Riku stopped moving at that, exchanging glances.

Terra gave it some thought before shaking his head. "The shadow that lurks in the mist is something that's beyond you Kairi. Even _IF_ you could resist the mist's effects, you're not near ready to fight that kind of darkness."

Kairi bristled a bit at that, but, decided to trust in his judgement, for now. "Okay, um... what's the Realm of Darkness?"

"Another time Kairi, I see the General," said Terra.

They walked down a ruined street, past a caved in tavern, and into a plaza with a fountain on it, on the other end of it was a ruined wall, with a number of soldiers standing at the ready. But before the soldiers, pacing back and forth with her sword drawn, was a woman...

She was tall, a little on the slender side, with slightly pale skin, and seemed to be around in her mid thirties or so. She was physically strong, looking even tougher than Tifa looked. She Brown hair, extending to around her collar bone. Her eyes, were a mixture of red and purple. She had a silvery cloth over her right eye, wrapping into her hair. Her face held almost no emotion aside from a hint of irritation and anger. She wore a white, sleeveless top that was tied together with cord between the two halves, The top connected into a cape that hung down to her feet. The inner part of the cloak and the white top seemed to be a deep crimson. On her hands were a rather larger looking finger-less gauntlets that extended a little past her wrists. On her right arm only she had a steel brace like armor extending to a bit above her elbow. Connecting her top and bottom half's was a buckle that held a sword sheath angling a bit behind her. Her leggings were a tight red-brown. Her boots, steel, with a white red cloth mix at the top.

The way she held herself, the way every soldier present gave her attention, the power and light she radiated, if Kairi was a betting woman, she'd all in on that being General Beatrix. She trusted her senses enough to instantly tell that the General was no joke, Kairi figured she wouldn't last ten seconds in a spar against her. The moment the woman's eyes passed over them, Kairi found herself unconsciously standing and walking a bit straighter, sweating a little under the intensity of her gaze.

The woman walked over and gave Terra a curt greeting. "Master Terra."

"General Beatrix," he offered back, "My apologies on our tardiness."

The General waved a dismissive hand. "You have more worlds to attend to than to one whose fate was decided years ago."

Kairi frowned at that, the woman didn't see depressed or seemed to be showing self-depreciation, she just spoke as if it were a matter-of-fact. Kairi... really didn't know how to take that.

The General's eyes flickered to Kairi, sized her up, and turned back to Terra. "By her appearance, I assume that is the Kairi your Sora boy was looking for."

At that Kairi rolled her eyes a bit. Had Sora really been asking everyone everywhere he looked for her? Jeez...

"She is," said Terra, "If your willing, I'd like you to..."

"She is an obvious novice, I do not babysit fledglings," said Beatrix with a bit of ice, "I have a duty to my queen and her people to fight the darkness, and will not be held back to baby one of yours for a 'training mission' again."

Okay, no, she might be new to a Keyblade, but Kairi did not appreciate being talked down to like that. "You don't need to, I'll keep up."

Beatrix scoffed and turned to her. "Tis that so? You'll keep up even as I stride out alone into a hoard of Neoshadows? Or against a cluster of Darksides?"

Kairi frowned at her and decided to one up her. "No, I'll be fighting ahead of you already by then."

Beatrix didn't seem impressed by her attempt. "Then you will get yourself killed, be of no use, and shame your Masters."

"She'll keep up, or she will fall behind and return to us," said Terra evenly.

Beatrix slowly shook her head. "Do as you wish then, but do not expect me to go out of my way on her behalf should she make a fool of herself and 'fight ahead of me'."

Terra gave Kairi a stern look. "Follow her lead. You are to help support her, but not get in her way."

Kairi felt a bit vexed, having both Terra and Beatrix talk and look at her like that. "Fine."

Why the heck did they bring her along if this was the way she was going to be treated? She thought Terra had said he thought she could handle it? Had she said or done something wrong...? If it was her comment, all she had wanted was for Beatrix to take her a little seriously...

"Where do you want us General?" asked Terra.

Beatrix scoffed. "Do you have to ask? Your usual spot."

Terra smirked. "Alright, we'll be there."

Usual spot?

She watched silently as Terra and Riku strode past the soldiers and out onto the fields. Oh, right in the thick of things, guess that figured. Kairi could already see a number of weak Shadow Heartless mindlessly making their way across the fields. She figured it would be escalating soon. She turned her head back to already see Beatrix moving away to look over a few troops. Kairi watched her as the woman looked over the gathered troops, directing where they would stand and fight, sending those she deemed to tired back to rest, and healing what wounds she came across. Kairi hesitated briefly before moving to try and help with the healing...

"Conserve your energy," interrupted Beatrix.

"But I want to help!" said Kairi.

Beatrix narrowed her eyes. "Then you will listen to what I say, child. I can tell simply by looking at you that you don't have near the fortitude needed for the kind of fighting I delve into yet. Waste energy now, and you will burn out far to quickly later."

"Healing someone isn't a waste of energy," Kairi retorted stubbornly.

"Mind my words, or I will send you back to your Master now," warned Beatrix.

Kairi bit her lip to hold back her mouth and simply went silent instead. Beatrix might have been impressive initially, but, Kairi wasn't sure she liked the woman's personally...

She followed Beatrix around for about the next thirty minutes, growing more and more frustrated by the inaction, until cries of 'Heartless' started going up inside the town. Immediately, Beatrix took off at a speed Kairi was hard pressed to keep up with. Civilians were rushing indoors and barricading windows and doors as soldiers ran around to where they were needed. Kairi saw very quickly it wasn't just from the mist surrounding the world that the Heartless were coming from. From every dark alleyway, from every shadowy corner, out of every abandoned looking building, Pureblood Heartless started pouring out.

Even with their numbers though, Kairi hardly got to lift her Keyblade. Beatrix, forget her misgivings, the woman was an absolute monster in a fight. Kairi hadn't seen anyone move like she did. She tore across streets, her blade ripping through Heartless, no matter the type, in single hits, a faint glow of light illuminating the woman. But the glow wasn't of power, from what Kairi could tell, Beatrix was using it like a beacon to attract Heartless to her instead of letting them shamble around and attack others. Kairi found herself a little peeved, she found herself mostly running to keep up, feeling like she was only getting the scraps of Heartless Beatrix couldn't be bothered finishing off.

"Darkside in the market square!" came a cry.

Beatrix immediately diverted her attention and took off, Kairi following. Finally! A Heartless she could actually get a hit in on...

_WHINE_

Kairi caught up in time to see a glow of bright light that gave off a high pitched whine illuminate the woman as she cried out, "Shock!"

Kairi's eyes went wide to see the Darkside explode in an single intense burst of light, leaving Kairi's mouth hanging open. Holy crap...

She had little chance to gawk as Beatrix was already moving towards the next sound of battle and Heartless. "Come you ignorant fools!"

"You did know Heartless are mindless and don't respond to taunting, right?" called out Kairi.

"It's for myself more than them," Beatrix shot back, "If I recall, I seem to remember you saying you were going to you fighting ahead of me? What happened to that delusion of grandeur?"

Kairi grumbled under her breath before evading a direct answer, "Against Master Terra's orders."

"Pah," Beatrix retorted as she tore into the next group of Heartless.

Kairi paused briefly, noticing a single Emblem Heartless, a yellow opra, flying a bit high in the sky. "Emblems...?"

Beatrix either didn't hear or didn't care. After all, it was the Purebloods attacking, not Emblems, and it was just one. Though, she was curious why it was even here, if she didn't know any better, she'd say it was looking down right at her. She didn't have time to think about it as a weaker amount of the dark mist began to roll over Alexandria. The effect was immediate, she noticed the Heartless visibly enlarge a little bit, and felt their strength increase. She was eerily reminded of that mist that had overtaken Traverse Town when **_IT_ ** arrived, thankfully, that presence didn't feel anywhere close to this world at the moment.

"Stay close if you wish to survive," warned Beatrix, "Pleasantries are over, it begins. The army will start hunkering down and relying on myself and you Keybearers to destroy the enemies of Alexandria."

Beatrix's fighting style and attitude instantly changed, rather than charge down streets towards the nearest Heartless, she slowly moved, trying to position herself to always have her back against something. Whether it was a wall, a statue, or even a turned over cart. Kairi was a bit miffed Beatrix didn't trust her to cover her back, but, at least she could actually keep up now. Kairi planted herself permanently a few feet behind Beatrix, as to not accidentally get caught, or hit her, with a sword or Keyblade strike.

"Is it always like this?" asked Kairi between Keystrokes.

"Only after a summoning, in which the darkness is drawn to fading of Alexander's light, or after a period of time where the darkness is allowed to build up," said Beatrix, "Which often results in us using Alexander, and then having to whether the storm and cull the Heartless anyway."

Kairi went silent at that. Having to deal with this all the time... was not a way she'd want to live...

"Move," ordered Beatrix, cleaving through a group of Neoshadows and dashing down the street.

Kairi ran, elbowing a few Heartless out of the way, and followed. "Why, that was a good spot to hold out and..."

"We're not holding out, we're hunting the darkness," Beatrix called back, "Use your senses if you have them child."

And sense what? The darkness that was _EVERYWHERE_?

Well, then again... she could feel a rather heavy blotch of it in the direction Beatrix was going. Kairi's eyes narrowed as she sighted what looked light a Darkside, except... it was different. It was a black and purple, instead of its normal pure black color. It felt a lot stronger than the Darkside she had fought in Traverse Town, and the one Beatrix had one shot earlier...

"That's not a Darkside, is it?" called out Kairi.

"Dark Follower, same thing, a bit stronger, still a waste of my time," said Beatrix before she rushed at it, leaping into the air, and bringing her sword down at it's feet, "Stock Break!"

Light ripped out of the point of contact, devastating all nearby Heartless and sending the Dark Follower staggering. Kairi rushed at it, enchanted her Keyblade with light, and swiped at it's leg, severing through it.

"Get it's other leg, I'll...," began Kairi.

Instead, Beatrix leaped up and drove her sword right through the Dark Follower's head before withdrawing her blade and leaping off as it crashed down to the ground and faded away in a puff of darkness. Okay... General Beatrix really didn't mess around...

"We will hunt the stronger Heartless when they appear, kill them as quickly as possible, and in between, we hunker down and withstand the weaker masses," ordered Beatrix, moving to put her back towards a building, Kairi doing the same.

Silence overtook the them and the area. Nothing but the swinging of blades, the soft hum of light, and the shambling of the Heartless rushing towards them was heard as time passed by. They'd occasionally go off to take down a few larger Heartless, mostly Darksides or their variants. She wasn't sure how long they had been at it, a few hours at least. She began to notice the lesser Heartless starting to... she didn't know how to put it... change? Warp? Evolve? as the fighting went on.

Shadows started enlarging into huge variants almost the size of people. Neoshadows, for some reason, lost a digit on their claws, but grew buffer and changed shades of their darkness. Invisibles and Dark Balls also started to appear, right along with Earth Cores, and those super annoying floating ones that cloaked themselves in water, she still didn't know what they were called...

"Orcus! Stay back!" warned Beatrix suddenly, charging forward.

Kairi followed her with her eyes and saw a buffer Invisible with an orange sword instead of a blue one. Kairi grudgingly listened, and focused on keeping the rest of the Heartless out of the makeshift duel happening before her. This 'Orcus' thing was fast and strong, it could actually keep pace with Beatrix in swordplay...

Or at least, it did, before Beatrix roared, "Climhazzard!"

Beatrix smashed the point of her sword into the ground, releasing waves of intense red light that tore the Orcus and any nearby Heartless apart.

Kairi took a moment to catch her breath and wipe a bit of sweat from her forehead. "Uh... can you teach me how to do that?"

Beatrix scoffed. "Train for a few years and maybe... _LOOK OUT_!"

Kairi turned her head and raised her Keyblade as a large shadow loomed over her head. She gave a startled cry when talons dug into her shoulder armor and lifted her off the ground. She glanced up, sighting an Emblem Heartless that she had never seen before. A flat V-shaped head, muscular legs, a tan underbelly, red body, tattered wings, and short tail. She remembered hearing about something like these before... Wyverns?

Kairi tried raising her Keyblade, only to find her arm, both of them, locked in place by the Wyvern's grip. She ground her teeth in frustration before glancing down at her hands and preparing to cast a pearl spell...

Only to stop when she realized just how high up in the air she now was. Uh... she didn't think she'd survive that drop if she made it let her go...

"The heck is it doing...?" she muttered to herself.

For one, why were there Emblem Heartless here in a Pureblood fight? For two, why was it... she didn't know... kidnapping her of all things? Or was it? It was taking her towards the top of the Alexandria Castle, onto the roof of it. It dropped her off on a large circular platform near the base of the sword sticking out of the castle...

There, waiting for her, of all things, were two... midget clowns? The hell...?

Kairi narrowed her eyes, the hair on the back of her neck starting to stand on end, a creeped out sensation starting to rapidly overtake her. The vibe these two were giving off was putting her on edge. One clown was dressed in red and white, the other blue and white. Both had face paint on. They had pointed hats with three ends that had yellow bells on the end of them. They wore collared jackets with long sleeves that hid there arms. They had long, pointy shoes.

But the thing that really stood out to her, was the Emblem Heartless symbol on their chests. "They're... humanoid Heartless...?"

The red clown grinned at her. "Greetings Princess."

"A greeting indeed," added in the blue clown.

Kairi's eyes went wide. "They... you talk? Heartless can talk if they're humanoid?!"

The red clown spoke. "In a sense we do."

The blue shook his head. "Wrong! In a sense we do not!"

"What do you...," began Kairi.

"Humanoid are we?" interrupted the red one.

"Wrong! Humanoid we are not!" countered the blue one.

Kairi stared at them, baffled, and gripping her Keyblade tightly. "Alright, who are you, what do you want, and how do you know I'm a Princess of Heart?"

The demeanor of the clowns changed, a malicious smile repeated across both faces, and a chill ran down Kairi's spine as _another_ presence filled the air.

The clowns spoke as one. "I have been aware of you for a long time now Princess, ever since you first fought one of my Emblem Heartless. I must admit, I was displeased when I thought you had been lost with Traverse Town, only to find myself pleasantly surprised to see you having survived."

Kairi tensed. She wasn't speaking to the clowns anymore...

"Are you pleased?" they asked, "To finally be out of Traverse Town?"

Kairi didn't respond.

"I can recall, the times I overheard you while out on patrol through my Emblem Heartless that you fought," the clowns began.

Their malicious smiled widened, "Or as you whispered to yourself at night before trying to sleep in your bed, your desire to leave that world, and to find your 'Master'."

Kairi stared at them in open shock, then revulsion, and then furious indignation. "You... you spied on me when I was sleeping?! How? When? I would have felt Heartless that close to me!"

The clowns shrugged. "I always kept an eye on you, Princess. Not necessarily through the Heartless, magic is another easy means."

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Kairi.

"Has Eraqus not told you yet? Who leads the Emblem Heartless? I'm insulted," mocked the clowns.

Kairi froze briefly, before her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You..."

It was _HIM_ , it was that old decrepit yellow eyed bastard who had hurt her Master! Who had cracked her heart all those years ago!

"Xehanort...," she whispered hatefully, "Why don't you come out instead of sending your little freak clowns?"

"You're not ready to meet me yet," mocked the clowns.

Both of them raised their hands into the air. "It's finally time to begin."

"Begin? Begin what?" she demanded.

Their malicious smile spread even wider, almost splitting their faces. "Why, strengthening you of-course. I waited for so long, for you to finally awaken your Keyblade. I fed you my Heartless to combat as you grew older, to begin tempering your power, but, without your awakening, you were limited in your growth. Now? The time has arrived, at long last, to begin preparing you to fulfill your purpose, though I cannot promise the process will be pleasant for you."

"And what purpose, exactly, is that?" she hissed.

"Why, to meet your Master of course, it's what you wanted, isn't it?" asked the clowns with a mocking tone.

Kairi grew confused. "My Master's gone, I was told me she... was consumed by the Leader of the Heartless..."

The clowns look briefly surprised before they tilted their heads back and laughed a creepy, joined laughter. "In a manner of speaking, I suppose that is the truth, but only partially."

Kairi frowned. Was Xehanort saying she was being lied to...?

"But regardless, your power needs to grow, rapidly, and exponentially, in order to defeat her," said the clowns.

"Her...?" said Kairi, growing more and more confused, who were they talking about now?

"The 'Leader of the Heartless' as you call her," said the clowns, "I wonder, do they call her that because it pains them to say who and what she truly is? Or do they call her that only when before you in order to deceive you?"

Kairi flexed her grip on her Keyblade and ignored his attempt to confuse and set her on the other Keybearers. "You... want me to kill **_IT_**?"

"But of course, I would after all prefer all Heartless to be under my command, not just the Emblems," said the clowns mockingly.

"To that end, I offer you Zorn and Thorn as sacrifices, Princess," said the clowns, bowing to her.

Kairi stared at them, feeling slightly sickened. "You... what?!"

"They've extracted powerful hearts from the champions of this world on occasion, and been excellent tools to further my goals here, but the time this world has left is dwindling, and their usefulness, at an end," said the clowns, "Their final purpose can be to further my ultimate goal. **_IT_** , as you call her, must be dealt with. My plans cannot go any further until she is gone, lest she be allowed to fully collapse the Realm of Light, and kill me while she's at it. You, child, are the last idea I have of what can possibly phase _**IT** _ as you call her, and in order to do that, you must become stronger."

"Nice to see someone has confidence in me, wish it wasn't _YOU_ of all people though," spat Kairi.

The clowns laughed. "Be warned, the twins are not easy prey to battle. Though, I suppose I should be honest and tell you they're not really twins at all. They're not even human, even before I turned them into Heartless."

The clowns began to reverberate and shimmer, their body parts beginning to turn and twist unnaturally. Kairi took a horrified step back when the clowns began to merge together, sickening sounds of flesh tearing and warping filling the air. Kairi could help but let loose a sickened and terrified scream as their form began to warp, twist, and enlarge into a disturbing monster of the likes she had **_NEVER_** seen before, one that she had to bring a hand up to block her mouth to stop her from throwing up at the sight of.

The two clowns had turned into a demonic looking large, twin headed, inside out person. Organs and muscle that should have been hidden behind skin were on display, their rib cage cracked open and revealing flesh, and the Emblem Heartless symbol where a heart should have been. It had two fleshy and sharp wings instead of arms to it's slide, in addition to two mandible like appendixes shoot out of it's chest. Instead of legs, their lower half had merged together, looking like a disgusting fleshy cape that wrapped around it, save for a brown fleshy spine like appendix that ran down it's center length. The presence it gave off was horrifying, sickening, terrifying, and more... it was... pure evil, of the likes only **_IT_ ** could rival.

"By the light," she whispered, trying not to puke her guts out, "What **_IS_ ** this thing?!"

The Heartless Monster gave a mocking, disturbing twin laugh as Xehanort spoke through it one last time, "I believe they call it, Meltigemini. I hope you enjoy it, Princess. It will be a test to see how much you have grown since becoming a Wielder."

Meltigemini began to move, it's body sickeningly twisting and squirming along the floor as it swung a wing at her. Kairi raised her Keyblade and tried to parry the blow aside before being sent reeling at the impact of the clash. She scrambled to try and put some distance between herself and the monster, lobbing pearl spells at it as she ran. They battered the creature, but did little damage.

It slithered along the ground after her, before an awful sound, a more disgusting version of someone trying to hack something up out of their lungs was heard. It spewed a bright and green mist at her. The cloud washed over her, into her nose, down her mouth into her lungs, causing her to fall to a knee, gagging, and unable to stop herself from puking this time.

"Now... you carry a virus too...," spoke the creature.

Kairi tried to stand up, only stagger, a wave of dizziness washing over her, and a vile feeling invading her body, sapping at her strength...

_WHACK!_

She gave a shrill cry as the creature smashed a wing into the back of her armor and sent her face first into the ground. Her arms and legs suddenly felt like they were burning, her head doing the same, a feverish feeling washing over her. She forced herself to scrambled to her knees despite her growing weakness and stagger away from the creature.

She felt a magical stir behind her, and cried out as a sickly green and red ball of energy hit her from behind and knocked her down again. Where it touched her skin around her head, it felt like it was searing into her. A bit of it, to her growing nausea, got into her mouth and down her throat, and a very uncomfortable sensation filled her body. Whatever it had infected her before now had poison to go with it... great...

The awful slithering sound as heard again as it came towards her and slapped a wing upside her head as she tried to rise to her feet, sending her crashing to the ground.

"T-this thing... its... its... its to much..." she whispered weakly, her eyesight blurring.

She struggled to try to rise to her feet, only to cry out as it slammed a wing into her back and sent her crashing to the ground headfirst, her sight going dark upon impact...

_"Kairi! Are you giving up already? You're stronger than that, call out your light!"_

Kairi clutched a hand to her head, and for a moment, she thought she saw someone in the darkness. "Master... Aqua...?"

The sound of something parting the air heading for the back of her head snapped her out of it. Kairi rolled, dodging an attack from Meltigemini's wing and sprang to her feet, struggling to point her Keyblade into the sky.

She took a pained, burning breath, and screamed. " ** _LIGHT_**!"

A nova of light erupted out of her body, purging both the virus and poison from her system, healing her, burning the creature, and sending it flying and screaming away from her to the edge of the roof. Kairi suckered in a now pain free breath and focused. She couldn't afford to even think about trying to conserve energy for the fighting going on in town, she needed everything she had, or this thing was going to kill her. Her body began to intensely glow with light, extending to wrap around her Keyblade as well. She rushed at the monster as it recovered and started slithering towards her.

She ducked under a swinging wing and swept her Keyblade, cutting into it's side, making it scream an unnatural sound. It's wing, the right one, came back however and hit the back of her armor, sending her staggering and cringing. She turned and swing at the wing, cutting into it and severing it from it's body. The creature hissed and spewed more of its viral mist at her, point blank. She staggered away, gagging and struggling to keep the putrid illness out of her system with her light.

She leaped back and out of the way as it sent it's poison blob spell at her again, barely dodging in time. She coughed viciously as it launched a powder substance out of it's mouth, similar to the viral mist.

"Dammit! Stop... spewing crap at me!" she yelled, only to retch as more of it got in her nose and mouth.

She aimed a hand at it and released a burst of light, charring it's chest and sending it staggering back. She turned and put some distance between herself and it, breathing in and out, trying to clear her lungs. She turned and hefted her Keyblade, ready as it started slithering towards her again...

"Flames of Hell!" cried out a female voice, "I call you, Ifrit!

Kairi gave a start, and turned to see a young woman with long black hair, dressed in a white blouse with a tight orange full body jumpsuit going down to her feet running towards them from a set of stairs leading into the palace. In her hand, she bore a staff that was starting to burn violently with fire. She thrust it into the sky, and then there was a flash of light.

A ball of fire slammed down onto the roof. Only, it wasn't fire... it was some kind of orange humanoid horned monster! The monster, Ifrit as the woman called it, gave a roar and slammed a fist into the room, causing fiery cracks to appear and rush towards Meltigemini where they exploded into a massive ball of fire that charred the creature. Ifrit vanished a moment later, and the unknown woman who had beckoned it closed the distance between herself and Kairi.

Kairi studied her briefly, was this what Riku and Terra had been talking about? "You... summoned that Ifrit thing? Are you Queen Garnet?"

The woman nodded and eyed the monster, anger radiating across her tired face.

Kairi was thankful for any kind of help she could get at the moment, but, at second glance, the tired and exhausted bags under the woman's eyes didn't look so good, and the queen probably shouldn't be fighting personally. "Thanks for the help, but let me handle this."

Garnet viciously shook her head. "That... that thing is what took Eiko's heart! I'm not leaving until it's dead, not this time!"

Eiko? Wait, that was one of the names Riku had mentioned, Kairi hesitated, not wanting to put the queen in danger, but, she couldn't deny her vengeance, "Alright, but stay back and support me, don't get close, you really don't look like you can take a hit at the moment."

Garnet's response was to aim her staff at Kairi and cry out, "Haste, protect, shell!"

Kairi's eyes went wide as twin protective barriers wrapped around her body and her movement rapidly increase. "Oh hell yes, thanks!"

Garnet merely nodded before twirling her staff again and crying out, "Holy!"

An immense explosion of white light rushed out from the woman's staff, slamming into Meltigemini, making it scream and partially collapse to the ground. Damn, this woman wasn't bad, she could do a lot more than just summon monsters to fight the Heartless. Kairi rushed forward, charging through its poison blob spell, the protective barrier Garnet had crafted taking the brunt of the impact. Kairi leaped up and drove her Keyblade into it's chest as deep as she could. The creature roared in agony and smacked its remaining left wing into Kairi's side, sending her flying.

She skidded painfully along the roof before staggering to her feet and staring at her embedded Keyblade, which _apparently_ wasn't enough to kill it even with that deep wound. "Oh come on!"

She aimed her hand at her Keyblade before recalling it to her and them sending out a Strike Raid, launching her Keyblade at it over and over again. Meltigemeni reeled at the continuous impact, its fleshy body trembling. Kairi noted one of it's heads loll to the side, and felt its presence weaken immensely. Yes! They were doing it, they...

The creature gave a roar and spewed its viral mist again, but this time, it wasn't aimed at Kairi. Her eyes went wide to see the deadly contagion fly through the air right at Garnet. Kairi acted instantly, throwing herself at the woman and knocking her out of the way. Kairi reeled back and started gagging again as the viral mist filled her lungs once more.

"Gah... I hate... this crap...," she wheezed, her light starting to dim a bit, and her head starting to spin.

She shook her head viciously and rushed at Meltigemeni at enchanted speed, determined to end this thing once and for all. She let into it, slashing again and again, allowing it to counterattack in favor of dishing out more damage, trusting both her armor and Garnet's magic to protect her. Finally, she gave a furious roar, and deeply bit into the creature again with her Keyblade, right into it's Emblem symbol. The creature spasmed, screamed, and began to melt, a putrid heart rising out of it's corpse.

Kairi staggered away as noxious fumes rose from it's fading remains and washed over her. Her light faded away, exhaustion crept over her, and a burning sensation filled her lungs and throat, her limbs starting to go limp.

She fell to a knee and dropped her Keyblade, heaving, with nothing coming out of her now empty stomach. "Oh... oh man... I don't feel... so good..."

Kairi struggled, but couldn't stop herself from pitching forward and collapsing on the roof, wheezing painfully. Her last sight before she blacked out was Garnet rushing towards her, hands glowing with light...


	13. A Hint of Terror

Kairi cringed as bright sunlight suddenly hit her eyes and a voice range out. "I believe the Queen has given up her bed to you long enough Keybearer."

She rolled away, bringing an arm up to shield her eyes. "Gn..."

There was the pattering of feet for an arm grabbed her shoulder and shook her. "Get up."

Kairi opened her eyes, and blinked a few times. "Beatrix...?"

The General of Alexandria crossed her arms and stared at Kairi patiently. "Up."

Kairi yawned, sat up, and stretched a bit before looking around, finding herself in a regal looking room. "Where...?"

"The Queen's bedchambers, she cured you and brought you here after your battle with the...," began Beatrix before pausing, a furious and wrathful look overtaking her face, "The jesters."

Kairi stared at her blankly for a moment before she froze up, the memory of the battle she had with those clowns turned sickening monster rearing its head in her mind. She paled a bit and coughed, trying not to retch at the lingering memory of the battle, the smell, and that damn viral cloud crap it kept spewing at her.

"My thoughts exactly," said Beatrix at the sight of Kairi's face.

Kairi shook the memory off and stood up. "Where's Master Terra and Riku?"

Beatrix made a motion with her hand off in the distance. "Fighting alongside Master Mickey and Sora to help cover Alexandria."

Kairi blinked a few times. "Why are they here too?"

Beatrix sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Because, the Queen was supposed to be resting to recover her strength, not fighting. Aiding you in battle against the jesters drained her already weakened reserves. She didn't make it much farther than dragging you here before she collapsed, I woke and spoke with her briefly before going to Master Terra. A pair of Keybearers are going to have to stay and give both the Queen and myself a bit of time to eat, sleep, and recover."

Kairi's face fell. "I'm sorry..."

Beatrix shook her head. "It's fine Keybearer. Come, help me get the queen to her proper bed, she's in one of the guest-chambers at the moment. Afterwords, I wish to speak to you privately."

Kairi blinked a few times before nodding. "Okay."

She followed Beatrix out of the room, down the hall into another wing of the palace, and into a room. Passed out sleeping fitfully on the bed was Garnet, arms sprawled out. Beatrix stared at her with a soft smile before moving over to adjust the woman's arms and lift her by her shoulder.

"Grab her legs," ordered Beatrix tiredly.

Kairi did so and helped bring the queen back to her room. Beatrix gently tucked the queen into her bed and then motioned for Kairi to follow. She did, trailing the general out of the palace, past a patrol of woman soldiers, and into a private looking garden.

Beatrix turned to Kairi and cleared her throat. "First, I will commend you for aiding in the destruction of the jesters."

Her fists tightened, and a murderous look filled her eyes. "It was a _very_ long time coming for them, they were responsible for the deaths of several close friends of myself and Queen Garnet. Woe be it that I unfortunately did not get to participate."

"Second... she told me of the part of the battle she participated in. I must thank you personally, for pushing her out of the way of it's attack. In her present condition, I'm unsure if she would have survived it's virus in her system again, even at full strength it crippled her for a time the first time we fought the jesters," said Beatrix, bowing her head courteously.

Kairi scratched her head, a bit bashful. "Umm... it's no problem..."

Beatrix studied her for a few moments. "I saw and felt that eruption of light from you, even from the town, during your fight. Surviving that encounter, and showing such light, perhaps you are far stronger than I gave you credit for. It is obvious to me, Keybearer, that you are not as mere a child as I originally thought you to be. You asked me if I could teach you one of my abilities yesterday, and while I don't think you are quite ready for Climhazzard, perhaps you may be able to use one of my other techniques, I will attempt to teach you one, perhaps... Shock. Consider it my personal thanks for your service to the queen and Alexandria."

"I... would really appreciate it," said Kairi sheepishly.

"Summon your Keyblade," ordered Beatrix, drawing her sword, "And mirror me. I'm a bit tired, so lets try to make this quick."

Beatrix clasped her hands together on her sword hilt, a bright and intense glow of light starting to surround her. "Pull out your light from the depths of your heart, fill it with righteous purpose, wrap it first around your body, pull it into your weapon, and then send it at your opponent."

Beatrix shoved the handle of her sword forward, unleashing a burst of intense light that hit the ground and exploded, sending a bit of dirt flying everywhere. "You try it."

Kairi bit her lips a little nervously and slowly took in a breath. "Here goes..."

She closed her eyes, reached in herself, and pulled out a bit of her energy, wrapping it around her body not like an aura showing power, but as a source of it instead. She pulled it into her Keyblade and thrust it forward. Light burst at the point her Keyblade aimed for, sending a small upheaval of dirt into the air.

Kairi scowled. "Tch. Not even close to as strong."

Beatrix scoffed. "Not even close? Keybearer, do you think I honestly mastered this ability in one day? It took years to perfect it into what you saw me use. You preformed a basic version of it on your first try, you should be proud of yourself."

She stared at Kairi, contemplative, "You are far more gifted with the light than I thought, its almost as if... your heart is nothing but light."

"Well... I am a Princess of Heart after all," said Kairi.

"I have no idea what that means," admitted Beatrix.

"Oh, umm, it means I don't have darkness in my heart, not really sure how that's possible, but, there's six other woman like me," explained Kairi.

Beatrix's eyes furrowed. "Not a shred of darkness...? That seems... unnatural and odd. Even our queen, for all of her innocence and good nature, has her darker moments, and even I have my own darkness."

Kairi shrugged. "Don't ask me, I don't have a clue."

Beatrix sheathed her sword, crossed her arms, and tilted her head back. "Hmm."

The woman turned her head to star out into the dark mist off in the far distance. "I wonder, if you have no darkness... then... did Master Terra tell you of...?"

"The tear that leads into the Realm of Darkness? Yes," said Kairi.

There was a bit of apprehensiveness to Beatrix's face. "I would not ask it of you, but... when you have become stronger..."

"I'll come back, go through that dark mist, and seal it, I promise I will," said Kairi with determination.

There was a soft smile on Beatrix's face. "I'll hold you to it then."

"Don't worry, I don't do take-backs," said Kairi with a bit of tease.

"Hmph," replied Beatrix, turning to go before pausing, "You should check in every now and then. As you grow in strength, I can teach you more of my abilities."

Kairi nodded. "Okay, thanks."

Beatrix strode off. "Your Masters await in the town, go to them."

Kairi watched the general go and stood there for a few minutes glancing down at her hand, lost in thought. "Hmm..."

"Xehanort... what did you mean, by what you said about my Master?" she whispered to herself.

Was there any truth in what he had said yesterday? She held doubts that she should trust anything that came from his vile mouth, but...

She shook her head and summoned her glider, using it to fly into Alexandria's town. Terra and Riku were roughly where they were yesterday, fighting along the outerwalls of the town instead of being out on the field. Kairi noted the Heartless presence was much thinner now than yesterday, and the dark mist had retreated to out past the fields. Sora and Mickey were out with them, cleaning up the last few Heartless in view for the moment. When she set down and dismissed her glider, the four other Keybearers approached her.

"Hey Kairi!" said Sora cheerfully, looking her over briefly before he was satisfied, "Glad your okay."

Terra nodded curtly. "Agreed, it's good to see you up and about."

"Gosh, we were worried after we heard what happened," said Mickey.

Kairi felt a bit bashful, and was glad that at least Riku didn't appear a bit smothering, only giving her an acknowledging nod. "I'm fine, no need to worry..."

"Worrying is what friends do," offered Sora with a cheeky grin.

Friends huh? Her eyes turned, one by one, to the other Keybearers, noting the care and concern for her in each of their eyes and expression. Hmm... well... she couldn't say she honestly knew them that well yet, but, maybe they were her friends. At the very least, they were her comrades, the same she could have said for all of the Guardians of Traverse Town, even the ones she didn't know well, or even didn't like. They were in this together after all.

Terra frowned. "I am concerned though about Xehanort. He must know what you are, and that you cannot become a Heartless. The Heartless he sent after you was perhaps his strongest on this world, we'll have to be more careful from now on and work around his desire to kill you..."

"He... wasn't trying to kill me... sort of...," said Kairi with a bit of uncertainty.

Terra narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Kairi went silent, unsure of what to say. She wanted to trust in them, but, Xehanort's words nagged at her...

"Kairi?" asked Terra patiently.

"He... spoke to me through the clowns," she admitted.

Riku spit on the ground. "That's his style, to taunt you before a fight, try to put you offbalance. Best to ignore him and shut the mouth he's speaking through up."

Terra held up a hand for silence. "What exactly did he say Kairi?"

Kairi licked her lips and made a decision. She wasn't going to tell them about Xehanort's confusing words about her Master, not until she understood herself.

"He said he had been watching me for awhile now, waiting for my Keyblade to awaken. He wants me to get stronger, so, in his own words, he 'offered' the clowns as a 'sacrifice'," she said with distaste.

Riku scowled. "Yeah, that's Xehanort already. Bastard would throw away his allies at the bat of a hat."

Terra gave Riku a look before returning to Kairi. "He wants you stronger?"

Sora frowned. "Some way to get her stronger. That _thing_ could have killed her."

Riku snorted. "That's Xehanort's style. If she's not strong enough to survive his plans, then she's no use to him."

Sora scowled. "That old coot, I wouldn't want to have fought that thing again, let alone by myself."

Kairi blinked a few times. "You fought it before?"

Sora nodded, grimacing a bit. "Yeah, a few years ago when Eiko..."

He trailed for a moment, a sad expression crossing his face. "..."

"Gosh though, why would Xehanort want you stronger? That doesn't seem smart to me," said Mickey.

"He apparently wants me to fight **_IT_ ** and win," said Kairi, "He said I was the last idea he had for what could fight **_IT_**."

Terra made an incredulous face. "He's that desperate that he would throw his stronger monsters away in order to try and make you stronger? He's out of his mind. Even if, no, when, you eventually become a Master on, or even a bit above my level, the difference wouldn't be enough, even if all of us fought together."

Riku crossed his arms. "It's more than just that. Xehanort's a cowardly bastard and not one for brute forcing something. He has a plan, whatever it is, and it requires her to be at a certain level of power before he can enact it."

Terra made a none-committal hum. "Perhaps. I'll have to talk with Eraqus and Yen Sid when we get back and see if they can come up with any ideas. For now Kairi, you're with Mickey and Sora. Riku and I will pull another shift here before heading back home."

"Okay," she said before turning to Mickey, "Where are we off to?"

Mickey made a face. "Unfortunately, it's a bit past time when we should have checked in on Tristram. We don't go there often, but it's good to keep an eye on things."

Tristram huh? She recalled Master Eraqus not wanting her to go there anytime soon.

Tee hee, apparently he hadn't told them that. Good, she wanted to see to see this world where 'good and evil' allied for herself.

"Alrighty then, all aboard the Mickey Express!" said Mickey, throwing his Keyblade into the air and transforming it into his steamboat glider.

Huh, guess she got to sit back and enjoy a ride for once. She and Sora climbed in and sat down before Mickey took off into the air and to the Lanes Between. They flew for a few hours, with Kairi steadily growing more and more annoyed by Sora's inability to sit still. He kept tapping his feet on the floor. She was moderately thankfully they couldn't speak in the Lanes Between, otherwise, she was pretty sure he would have talked her ear off. Finally, they closed in on their destination.

Kairi grew puzzled As they drew closer. The world, Tristram, appeared at first glance to be a simple little town with a large church on the outskirts. It was surrounded by woods on one side, open plains across a stream on the other. It didn't look like much, in fact, she didn't seem or feel close to the amount of darkness there compared to other worlds.

Yet... as Mikey's glider flew down to the town, an unsettled feeling formed in the pit of Kairi's stomach. There was a... presence in the town, that made her skin crawl and set her ill at ease. They set down in the middle of the town square, Sora and Mickey dismissing their armor, and Mickey his glider. Kairi glanced around, her initial observation appearing to stand up, except for one _minor_ detail.

The town's inhabitants... appeared to be divided. On one half appeared to be normal, everyday people. On the other... were people dressed in black, with tatoes, markings... and... disturbingly, what looked to be cut-like markings engraved on themselves...

"Don't stare at the cultists," murmured Sora.

Cultists?!

She was starting to get a really bad vibe from this place...

She quietly followed Mickey and Sora into a tavern set dead center between the two halves of town. Similar to the town itself, the tavern was split into two sections between normal people and the 'cultists'. She focused first on the normal side, noting two people drinking at the bar. The first was a dark skinned man similar to Barret in shinning silver armor. He radiated light, perhaps not as much as some Kairi had met recently, but enough of it to stand out in the unpleasant atmosphere.

Next to him however was a deathly pale man in bone-like armor. Yet, despite how unsettling he looked, and that her senses felt _death_ from the man, he did not set her on edge. He had a rather... neutral feel to him, if what she detected was right. He didn't feel evil, nor did he feel good however. Strange...

She couldn't say the same for the presence at the far end of the tavern on the cultists side. Sitting at a table were three figures. One was a woman in a black dress, reeking of magic, dark magic. At first glance, she appeared passive and neutral, but Kairi could see cunning hiding behind her eyes as the woman's gaze locked onto Kairi, eyes flickering between her and the other Keybearers, pairing them together. She turned to lean over and whisper to the person to her right...

A man from what Kairi could tell, wrapped in a deep brown cloak, making his features. He was the presence she had felt. Looking at the guise of the man, she felt a spike of fear, but didn't know why. She could sense... it wasn't darkness, no, but some other kind of foul energy. It felt vile, burning...

He thoughts trailed off as the man briefly turning his gaze onto her. The spike of fear escalated heavily for that split second before the man lost interest and started sipping from a glass of wine. She didn't know who the hell that was, but, she after that, she wanted _NOTHING_ to do with him.

She was about to dismiss that entire section of the tavern, but briefly paused on the third member of that table. A young girl, brunette in both hair and eyes, couldn't be more than five years old. She seemed... out of place in that part of the tavern, and looked sad, frustrated, and to Kairi's interest, staring at Sora with a bit of familiarity and longing, like someone looking at a friend they hadn't seen in ages...

However, the girl's presence was an oddity to Kairi. She felt somewhat normal, but yet, had a hint of the burning energy the man at the table had. Strange...

Sora nudged her. "C'mon, we're not here for them this time."

Kairi averted her eyes from the group and followed Sora and Mickey to the bar.

Sora clapped a hand over both the pale man and the armored man's shoulders. "Hey guys!"

The pale man barely reacted, pausing his drink at his lips briefly. "Sora."

The armored man turned his head and raised a hand in greeting. "Hail Keybearers, what brings you back to Tristram?"

Mickey spoke up, "Gosh, not much, just seeing how you all are doin, it's been awhile."

The armored man nodded. "Well, have a seat then Master Mickey, Sora, and...?"

"Kairi," Kairi offered.

Mickey hopped up onto one of the barstools and sat down, Sora sitting next to him, and Kairi next to Sora.

The pale man briefly glanced at Kairi before returning to his drink. "A new Keybearer I see, and she's the lost Kairi you were looking for Sora."

Kairi sighed. "Sora, is everyone everywhere going to both know who I am, and think of me like some kind of lost puppy?"

"Err...," began Sora sheepishly.

The armored man chuckled. "You should be grateful to have a friend willing to go and look so far for you."

"If you say so," said Kairi, "So, who are you two?"

"I am... but a humble Paladin," said the armored man.

Paladin, like the ones in Lordaeran? "That's not a name."

The Paladin merely smiled, but didn't respond. Okay, kind of weird, but whatever.

The pale man took another sip from his drink before answering, "I am Xul, a Priest of Rathma, or, as the common folk call me, a necromancer."

"What's a necromancer?" she asked curiously.

"Hmm. There are many differing ways many people would answer that question," mused Xul.

"Well, I'm not asking other people, I'm asking you," said Kairi.

"True enough. A 'necromancer' of my order, is someone who holds sacred the balance of life and death in the world. We use the powers of life and death in order to help maintain that balance," explained Xul, "Though, for that reason, many would fear and shun us in past for using such a 'dark' power."

Xul slowly shook his head. "How little they understood."

Kairi stared at him, thinking over his words. His philosophy... reminded her a bit of Master Aqua. Using a dark power for good, and sounding shunned for it...

She gave him a brief smile. "Well, so long as you use your power to help people and fight the darkness, I don't see anything wrong with it."

Xul paused his drink and raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that so?"

"Yep, my Master did the same thing," she answered, "Just uh, with darkness and not life and death."

An awkward look came over both Sora and Mickey.

"Interesting, I'll admit, I hadn't heard of a Keyblade Master of darkness, baring Xehanort, but he's a Heartless now according to you bearers," said Xul.

"Well... my Master's gone now, and I only knew her for a short time," she murmured unhappily, "I wish I had had a chance to properly learn under Master Aqua before **_IT_ ** killed her."

Both the Paladin's and Xul's eyes flickered to Mickey, and she noticed the mouse shake his head subtly. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What was that about?

"I suppose, either way, it's refreshing to meet someone with your outlook," said Xul, returning to his drink, "I wonder though, if Sora was any indication, how well that would react to actually seeing my abilities in action. I seem to recall a certain young boy destroying the skeletons I had worked to create..."

Sora winced. "Oh come on are you still holding that against me? That was years ago! I said I was sorry."

Xul merely gave him a faint, amused smile.

"So, everything been alright?" asked Mickey.

The Paladin nodded before grimacing. "Our 'generous' host has been rather bored and kept the Heartless culled as of late."

"And no troubles with _him_?" asked Mickey.

Xul raised an eyebrow. "He is as bound to the Pact as we are."

"Pact?" asked Kairi.

"So long as the imbalance of light and darkness leans so heavily towards the darkness, so long as the Heartless run rampant, and A... and _**IT** _ exists, the forces of heaven, hell, and mortality shall work with one another to survive," said Xul, "We are forbidden from harming one another so long as the pact is active, under a rather painful magically induced penalty."

"Heaven? Hell?" she said in surprise, "They're actually real?"

"Uh, actually, there's a few different ones depending on what world your in," said Sora.

Kairi stared at him blankly. "The worlds... are a really strange place."

Xul chuckled. "That they are, but yes, unfortunately, both are real, or rather, were, before both were consumed by darkness. In the days of old, the Priests of Rathma would prefer that both not interfere with humanity, as outside forces, they easily disturb the balance."

He smiled wryly. "Technically, you Keybearers also fall under the category of an outside force, more 'outside' than even the heaven and hell of our world. But, like myself, you work to achieve a balance between darkness and light, and that, is a pursuit I can respect."

He took a sip of his glass. "Woe be it that none of us have restored any kind of balance."

"Yet," added in Sora.

"Hmph, yet," agreed Xul.

"Alrighty," said Mickey, "We're glad to see things are okay. We're going to head out."

"Oh, leaving so soon?" purred a woman's voice.

Kairi tensed and glanced to her right, sighting the woman from the table approaching.

"Something you want, Adria?" said Xul coldly.

"Why, to meet our newest Keybearer ally of course," said the woman, Adria, before turning to Kairi, "Would you not like to meet all of your allies on this world?"

"I think, I can do without," said Kairi evenly.

"Oh, but I insist," said Adria, "My lord has asked for your presence, and it is unwise to deny him."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment before Kairi shrugged and stood up. "Whatever."

Adria turned. "Follow."

Kairi followed her, Sora and Mickey walking behind her, through the cultist side of the tavern. It was eerie, and creepy as hell, to feel so many dark eyes on her. Adria walked to her table with the cloaked man and the child, and motioned for Kairi to set opposite of her as she sat down next to the man. She did so, her stomach starting to twist. She caught sight of a deformed face under the hood, pale with red blemishes all over, and a strange indent on his forehead. From his chin, a slight protrusion, that almost looked like a horn. His eyes... appeared to change color, from a normal brown, to flickering with a burning orange.

Kairi's heartbeat started raising rapidly as the man's eyes looked her over from under his cloak. What was it about this man that was sending spikes of fear through her? She didn't understand. He hadn't said or done a single thing, but that presence...

"Does the little Keybearer have a name?" mocked the man, his voice deep, and almost sounding like an echo, as if two people were speaking.

"Kairi," she replied, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

The man's eyes flickered to Sora briefly, an amused look crossing his face. "It would seem I lost my bet. A pity."

Kairi felt a bit peeved that Sora had apparently 'bet' on finding her, but was quick to notice something. Sora wasn't responding to the man, merely staring hard at him. Kairi took special note of it, that not a shroud of Sora's normal, happy outlook was showing. He was on edge... just who was the cloaked man?

"I believe, its proper to return a name when given one," said Kairi.

The man smiled, revealing rows of sharp pointed teeth, make Kairi tense at the sight. "I suppose that... Aidan... will do for our first meeting."

There was the sound of snickering of cultists at nearby tables at that, at least until 'Aidan', which she kind of doubted was his real name, shot them a hostile look. The cultists looked as if death itself had glared at them. Aiden returned his burning gaze to Kairi. She shivered when she felt a dark sense probe her, curious. The man frowned, contemplative.

"Not an ounce of darkness," said Aiden with distaste, "Like staring into an angel, I thought I was free of that sensation when Tyreal fell to the Heartless."

"By your tone, I'm going to assume you didn't mean that as a compliment," she bit.

Aiden chuckled darkly. "Perhaps."

Aiden leaned forward, his burning gaze focused on her eyes. "Tell me, little Keybearer, what is it that you fear most, what brings you _terror_ in the night as you lay alone in bed?"

Kairi couldn't help but gulp and lean a bit back in her chair as an attempt to gain distance. "N-none of you b-business!

Aiden sniffed and then grinned wickedly. "Ah... what a base fear. Tell me, Keybearer, by chance, are you afraid of being completely, and truly alone? With no one left to care for, or be cared by? Everyone and everything you know and loved gone?"

Kairi's eyes went wide and a tremor went through her hand.

"I think that's enough!" said Mickey, taking a step forward.

Aiden leaned back and waved his hand, a smug smile on his lips. "I saw what I desired, begone."

Kairi was up and out of her chair, and the tavern, in under ten seconds. She slid down against the wall of the tavern, a ragged breath escaping her lips.

"Kairi, you okay?" said Sora, kneeling down in front of her.

She took her time collecting herself enough to evade the question, " _W-WHO_ was that?"

"No one you should dwell on," said Mickey, coming up and offering a hand.

Kairi wasn't one to take it, but she did this time, letting him and then Sora pull her up.

"He's why we don't come here often," said Sora, "I'd rather be fighting thousands of Heartless than spend a minute in that guys presence."

"Agreed," said Mickey, "Makes you feel bad for Leah."

"Who?" asked Kairi.

"'Aiden' and Adria's child," said Sora sullenly, "Good kid, horrible parents. I worry for her, worry how long she'll be able to stay true to herself under their influence."

"Nothing we can do on that matter Sora, you know that," said Mickey before throwing his Keyblade into the air and summoning his steamboat glider before assuming the helm.

Sora turned to follow before pausing and turning his head back to her. "Kairi... you don't ever need to fear being alone. We'll always be there for you if you need us."

Kairi averted her eyes, embarrassed, and pissed at Aidan. She had admitted to that fear back in that dream, her Keyblade Awakening, but, that was in confidence to her grandma. That... that bastard had no right to just go and announce it to the world!

Sora offered a hand. "C'mon, let's go home."

Kairi sighed, took the offered hand, and let him pull her up into Mickey's Glider. They sat down, and with that, Mickey shot off into the air and back for home...


	14. Of Gods and Memories

The next day found Kairi back under Master Eraqus's watch and guidance, eating breakfast together quietly before they left for whatever mission he had planned.

"Today's 'mission' is different then the last few you've been on," said Eraqus, "There will be no fighting, unless we are needed to for some reason."

Kind of like the one in Tristram? Or... oh he probably didn't know about that one. Might be best not to mention she had already been there...

"Okay, so what are we doing then?" she asked.

"Making introductions and playing politics," he replied dryly, "We will be heading to Olympus, there, I will show you that world, introduce you to the ruling gods who reside there."

Meeting gods huh? "Sweet, when do we leave?"

Eraqus frowned. "Not until I've given you a bit of a... 'briefing'."

"First, you must watch how you act while you are there," he explained, "The gods themselves walk amongst the world there nowadays in order to counteract the Heartless. Some are pleasant, some are not, and some can explode like a firecracker if ticked off."

Basically, she took it as 'keep your mouth shut unless told or asked to speak', but not sounding as rude.

"Okay," she replied.

"Second, we will most likely encounter Hades. Do not respond to his baiting, he loves to toy with people and try to get a rise out of them, understood?" he explained and asked.

"Okay," she replied again.

"I wouldn't normally say this, but, after what Sora did I feel I have to. Third, don't get any ideas if we go to see a tournament," said Eraqus.

Kairi blinked a few times. "What did Sora do? And what kind of tournament?"

Eraqus rubbed his eyes tiredly. "There are several kinds of tournaments held in Olympus. Open competition ones, in which anyone living and not divine can fight to better themselves. Underworld tournaments, where dead heroes and villains fight for the right to be revived and aid in the defense of the world. And finally, tournaments of the gods, where the gods themselves compete."

He leaned back in his chair. "Sora, on our first visit to the world, fresh with his Keyblade, snuck into one of the open tournaments."

Kairi snorted. "How did that end?"

"In the infirmary," answered Eraqus bluntly.

Kairi smirked a bit at that. "I see."

"And besides, the tournaments there are for those who reside in the world, not outsiders like us," added in Eraqus, "Now come, it's time we were on our way."

They flew through the Lanes Between towards their destination, and as they came closer, Kairi took note of what she saw. A great arena in the clouds. Below it, at the base of a mountain, a large city full of white buildings with red roofs. Countryside went on for a ways from what she could see. Curiously, on the bottom side of the world, she noticed a strange kind of black pillar with green mist swirling about it. This kind of looked like the most whole and unmarred world she had been to yet.

They flew down over the city and countryside, Kairi's eyes going wide as she did. Eraqus hadn't been kidding, there were glowing beings giving off unusual energy, dressed in togas of all things, walking around. Some had regular people walking with them. But it wasn't only gods and mortals, there were huge, monster like creatures wandering about. If she counted right, four of them. One made of ice, one made of rock, one made of lava, and one made of wind. As she flew lower with Eraqus, she noted the huge creatures and the gods give eachother a wide berth. It appeared like they didn't like each other.

Finally, they landed at the base of the mountain a bit from the city and dismounted their gliders.

"What were those monsters walking around?" asked Kairi.

"The four surviving titans," said Eraqus, "Former enemies of the gods, but, were let out of their prison the help fight the Leader of the Heartless and granted pardon under the conditions that they behave and help defend the world."

"Hail Eraqus," came a woman's voice.

They both turned, sighting a glowing woman with a long brown unkempt ponytale with leafs in it, blue eyes, odd small white antler like horns coming out of the sides of her forehead, leaf-like earrings, a blue squirrel on her shoulder, and a bow in her hands approaching them.

Eraqus bowed. "Good to see you again, Goddess Artemis."

Eraqus shot Kairi a quick look, and she bowed as well.

Artemis waved a hand and bid them rise. "Please Master Keybearer, we've told you, a friend of the gods never need humble themselves before us."

They did as she asked.

"What returns you to us, Master Keybearer?" inquired Artemis.

Eraqus motioned to Kairi. "I plan to introduce our newest Keybearer to the Pantheon."

Artemis smiled. "Ah, a new one eh? Well..."

Before she could continue, the squirrel on her shoulder leaped off and onto Kairi's and started to play with her ear. She stood there, uncertain of what she was supposed to do with that animal pawing at her earlobe...

Artemis chuckled and walked forward. "I think he likes you."

She reached for the squirrel, only for it to dart away and climb onto Kairi's head and attempt to hide in her hair. "Sorry, my hair's not that long."

Artemis plucked the squirrel up by it's tail, wagged a scolding finger at it, and set it back down on her own shoulder. "Anyway, Zeus and most of the Pantheon are at the games, topside."

"Alright, thank you," said Eraqus, "Until next time."

Artemis tilted her head. "Until next time."

Kairi gazed up at the mountain. "Alright, one quick fly and..."

"Who said we were flying?" said Eraqus, amused.

Kairi blanked. "Uh... but... how would we get up?"

He turned and started walking. "We climb. It's good training."

Was... was he _SERIOUS_?

To her chagrin, he was serious. Also to her chagrin, was how awful she was at climbing. She didn't have any experience with it. Climbing rocks, gripping indents, tip-toeing along very small ledges, maintaining a grip on very iffy surfaces including those that crumbled. After her first fall, Eraqus had stopped climbing himself and rode his glider to watch, instruct, and catch her if need be. He thankfully didn't make her start over, merely finding her a spot to continue from around the same level.

"Not only is climbing excellent physical training," said Eraqus, "In determining a route it teaches you to plan ahead, when something goes wrong it teaches you think fast, and finally it teaches you to always look for opportunities."

"And how to plummet several hundred feet," she muttered.

Eraqus chuckled. "Riku said something along those lines when he did this."

"You made him do this too?" asked Kairi, pausing briefly on the ledge she was on.

"Actually, Terra did, and I then used the lesson for Sora," admitted Eraqus.

"Okay, so blame Master Terra then, I'll remember that," said Kairi dryly.

Eraqus seemed amused. "If the student complains about the difficulty of the lesson, it's generally a good one."

Kairi resisted rolling her eyes and reached up for the next ledge. "Wasn't complaining."

"Whining then?" inquired Eraqus innocently.

"Was not!" she defended before yelping, almost losing her grip.

"Tsss, " she hissed, grinding her teeth, "Did Master Aqua ever have to train like this?"

There was a bit of silence from Eraqus, before he softly chuckled. "Exactly like this? No. While I wasn't exactly lenient with my training, back then there was no need for it to be anywhere as extreme as it is with Sora, Riku, and yourself."

He sighed. "But now there is, and it's... unnatural... to have pushed them so far so fast, and to be doing the same with you. Fighting legions of Heartless is nothing an apprentice should ever have been forced to do. To be frank, Sora and Riku have already become stronger than Aqua and Terra were for their Mark of Mastery Exam. If being a Keyblade Master were purely about power, they'd already have the title. And you, you came to us already stronger than Ventus was when he left after Aqua, it's impressive, you merely lack the experience to wield your Keyblade and your light more efficiently... but... the power you three have attained already at your age isn't something you should have been forced to achieve."

Kairi paused at the ledge she was on, thinking over his words. She had never considered herself strong enough, yet, here Master Eraqus was saying what she had now was impressive... and... to say that Sora and Riku were stronger than her Master had been when she first became a Master...

Which brought up a question.

"What exactly is the Mark of Mastery Exam?" she asked.

"A test to determine if a Wielder is ready for to accept, and perform, the responsibilities of a being Keyblade Master," said Eraqus, "It is a test of heart and character."

"Well, Master Aqua and Master Terra must have aced that exam easy, hope I can do the same when it's time," she said, reaching for the next ledge.

"Aqua... failed that exam," said Eraqus quietly.

It was like a bolt of lightning had hit her, her hand froze midair and she turned her head. "S-she did?!"

"I hold no doubt, that had Xehanort not cracked her heart, she would have passed easily," said Eraqus tiredly, "But he did, and the results were drastic for her. Ignoring the four years of training that followed that action, Aqua was unable to contain her darkness during the exam, lost herself in it, and came very close to seriously harming Terra out of simple battle-lust."

Kairi frowned intently. So, the cracks that old bastard had left in her Master's heart had done so much more than merely hurt her. Just how badly had Xehanort messed up her Master's life?

A soft smile touched Eraqus's lips. "But, even damaged as she was, she was still Aqua at heart. She stopped herself in time to prevent herself from hurting her friend, regaining control, she looked horrified to see what she had almost done. It was... a relief to see that at the time, when I had felt so lost, frustrated, and angry during most of the exam. It... hurt me to fail her."

"When did she become a Master then?" asked Kairi.

"Officially, it was... after we had thought Xehanort's threat was over with, thought that Aqua had defeated him for good, when we thought life would return to some semblance of normalcy," said Eraqus, a heavy sigh escaping his lips, "If only we had recognized what was going on in that one week... we could have done something..."

Kairi's eyes trailed up the mountainside, searching, before she spotted a place she could sit. She scrambled up and planted her butt down before turning to Master Eraqus.

"How did it end up like this?" she asked, "Did... Xehanort have something to do with **_IT_**? That thing didn't exist before, did he have something to do with it's creation? With the thing that killed my Master?"

There was a heavy, uncomfortable look at Eraqus's face. "You should resume the climb and..."

"Please Master Eraqus," she begged, "I... have to know."

Eraqus closed his eyes and simply said, "Yes, he did."

Kairi clenched her fists tightly. "I see."

"But... he alone did not hold to sole responsibility," said Eraqus softly.

She stared at him, confused. "What do you mean? He had help? An ally?"

"No... not exactly," he said sadly, "Aqua... made a mistake, and it cost her everything."

Kairi felt a solid lump form in her throat. "A... a... a m-mistake? What do you mean?"

Eraqus's eyes tightened. "According to Xehanort, Aqua had the chance to end him, but, wanted to make him suffer for the pain he had inflicted on her. It gave him the chance to weasel out of his defeat, and, unfortunately, the state of the worlds now is the result."

Kairi went completely and utterly silent, not sure what she was supposed to think or feel after that. Xehanort _SHOULD_ have to suffer for what he did... but... for this to be the result... the price wasn't worth it... oh Master Aqua... Kairi was oddly glad she wasn't around to see what had happened, it would have broken her Master's heart...

"I can't honestly blame her, none of us do. Any fault that could be laid at her feet comes to land at ours first. Four years, four years we watched her struggle with herself and her darkness after Xehanort harmed her, yet, not once did we force the issue. We respected her decision to not come forward to us, and, we let her suffer it alone," he said with remorse, "Even worse, Xehanort hurt her, right under my nose, and I hadn't a clue. I bear the greatest of the blame for this outside of Xehanort himself."

Kairi stared at him, not sure if she was supposed to feel pity or anger towards him and Master Aqua's friends.

"But, it does not mean there is nothing to be drawn from what happened. If there is one thing to learn from her mistake, it is to not let your passions, your anger, and your hate consume you. It will leave you with nothing in the end," said Eraqus solemnly.

Kairi nodded angrily. "Yeah, if I ever get the chance to put Xehanort down, I'm doing it no questions asked without giving him a chance to get away and do more harm. Some evils need to just be stamped out rather than being taught a lesson."

Eraqus blinked a few times before rubbing his eyes. "Not exactly what I meant, but regardless, come, resume the climb. I'd like to be back home before dinner preferably."

Kairi still had many questions, but, decided to let them drop for now. She had learned quite a bit, much of which that shook her. She climbed absent mindedly, her thoughts mostly focused on trying to sort out what she had been told, and what to feel about it.

She... agreed that she could not blame her Master for the outcome, the grisly fate the worlds were suffering. Master Aqua, as much as Kairi had always put her up on a pedestal in her mind, was only human, and humans made mistakes. Not to mention, according to Eraqus, the blame laid with many people, and _ESPECIALLY_ with Xehanort. None of this would have happened if not for him...

She turned her thoughts onto what she had learned about Master Aqua as a person. She had never thought her Master had to struggle like that. Perhaps she was a fool to have thought it. What she had heard all those years ago from her Master while speaking to her in her heart, the damage she had healed, it should have been obvious that it was so much more than simple heart-damage. Truth be told, she held doubts what Master Eraqus had told her even scratched the surface. The only one who would know the truth on the depth of that pain would have been Master Aqua herself.

Though... she was now a bit curious on something. She noted, how Eraqus had told her so much, without telling her pretty much any specific details. The only concrete detail she had learned was that Master Aqua failed her exam, well, and maybe some time figures for when certain events happened. The fact that Master Aqua had wanted Xehanort to suffer didn't tell Kairi how she made him do so, nor how Xehanort had gotten out of it, nor how **_IT_ ** had come about. That was a great mystery to her, in fact, she knew almost nothing about **_IT_** , aside from it being stupidly powerful, evil, and that it was the leader of the Heartless.

"What kind of Heartless is _**IT**_?" asked Kairi.

When Eraqus didn't respond, she turned her head to look at him, noting how uncomfortable he now looked. "Is it a giant monster kind like a Darkside? Something smaller but powerful like an Invisible?"

She paused, thinking about the clowns from Alexandria. "Or was it something humanoid?"

That caused Eraqus to visibly flinch. "..."

"Master Eraqus?" she asked, growing uncertain why he seemed so... upset looking and conflicted.

"Kairi, focus on the task at hand. When I believe you are ready, I will tell you all you need know," said Eraqus, growing firm, leaving no room for question.

Tss... all she wanted to know was what her enemy looked like. It seemed stupid keeping her in the dark on so important a detail. Whatever, she obeyed and resumed climbing, putting more effort into trying to scale the mountain. What Eraqus had said about her, and the other two apprentices, being strong for their age, did not put any damper on her desire to get even stronger. She _NEEDED_ to be stronger, especially if she was ever going to make a difference against **_IT_**.

By the time she reached the half-way point, it was noon, the sun high in the sky. By the time she reached the steps leading up to a giant double-door, she was pretty sure it was probably around five or six. Dinner was probably being cooked about now back home, and she was starving, and very tired from the climb. Shame it would probably be cold by the time they got back. Oh well, she had tried to climb fast. She paused at the doors, hearing an audible roar of cheers from inside. She pushed the door open and walked into an open area, sighting the entrance to what looked like a gigantic arena.

Her eyes looked upward. "Big..."

"It used to be smaller and less grand, but, when the gods themselves started attending and watching personally, it was renovated," said Eraqus, "Come, let us see Phil."

"Phil?" she asked.

"A satyr, he has a good heart, but can be a bit... crude and upfront, not to mention his mathematical skills are a bit lacking," he said with a bit of humor.

"How so?" she asked.

Eraqus coughed and tried to change his voice, "'I've got two words of advice for you, attack!'"

Kairi snorted, both at what he had told her, and his attempt to mimic a voice. He wasn't very good at it, A-plus for effort though. They walked into a small reception area that had several hallways splintering off. There was a small goat like man pacing around. Was... that what a satyr was?

"Greetings Phil," said Eraqus, walking up to the satyr.

Phil turned and strut over. "Yo! Welcome back, here for the games?"

"In a sense, is the Pantheon still here?" asked Eraqus.

"Eh, most left, Zeus is still up watchin, most because of Herc, his old man can't get enough of watching his son fight," said Phil.

"Well, he didn't get to participate in his son's youth much from what I know," said Eraqus, "It's one way to make up for lost time."

Phil grunted and pointed down the hall. "God's seats."

Eraqus nodded and bid him farwell before walking down the hall, Kairi following suit. They ascended several stairs, following the increasing noise of people cheering and shouting. Finally, they came out on a balcony with a large glowing man sitting on a throne. He was muscular, with rather long white hair for a guy. He had full facial hair, his beard going half-way down his neck. He was dressed in a purple toga with a golden button of a cloud and a thunderbolt on it.

"Lord Zeus," greeted Eraqus, bowing heavily, Kairi doing the same.

Zeus turned his had and spoke loud and warmly, "Ah Eraqus, welcome, you're just in time for the final match, come come!"

Eraqus moved to stand a bit behind Zues, and Kairi a bit behind him. It was a bit hard to see the arena from this high up, but... it looked to be a muscular man in brown against a red caped man with a huge sword.

"Whose his opponent? He's not one i recognize," said Eraqus.

"New arrival, came to the underworld about a month ago and won the tournament there, so we restored him to life, goes by the name of Auron," said Zeus, "His skill is exceptional, though, I hold doubts he can defeat my son, even with him barred from using his god powers for this tournament."

They watched the fight down below, or rather, they watched and Kairi squinted. "How do you see the fight from up here?"

Eraqus coughed and shot her a look.

Zeus however merely chuckled. "I was wondering when our guest was going to speak up. I have godly sight, so it's no difficulty for myself."

Zeus looked Kairi over. "Hmm... red hair, blue eyes, shines with light.."

Oh not again...

"You must be the Kairi that Sora was looking for," said Zeus.

God dammit Sora...

"Yes, I'm Kairi," she replied evenly.

Zeus gave a hearty chuckle. "I felt that boy would find you eventually, the strength of his heart was to grand to allow otherwise. Even if he hasn't reached his full potential yet, he has the heart of a true hero."

Zeus paused to look a bit closer at Kairi. "Curiously, not that you don't have the same kind of potential."

Kairi perked up a bit at that.

Eraqus put a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "She is, after all, our newest Keybearer."

Zeus raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so?"

Zeus glanced briefly down at the arena before rising off his throne, taking a few steps, and then kneeling down to match Kairi's level. "Then, I will tell you the same thing that I told young Sora and Riku when I first met them. Listen well child..."

Kairi blinked a few times and focused only on the god before her. "Yes?"

"A true hero isn't measured by the size of his, or her in your case, strength, but the size of his or her heart," he explained, "A true hero does not care what he or she is called, so long as they follow their heart, care for their friends, and fight for what is right, even going so far as to give themselves up for those they love."

Kairi absorbed his words, her face going a bit red with shame at the second part. Did he... somehow know how much she wanted to be a hero, be called one? Godly perception maybe, or just wisdom with age. Maybe it was a bit of a selfish desire on her part... but oh how she wanted it.

Zeus rose to his feet and returned to his throne. "So, Sora found her, then you turned her into a Keybearer Eraqus?"

Eraqus hesitated. "Not... quite. It turns out she had already had the ceremony performed on her."

"Oh? By whom?" asked Zeus.

Eraqus spoke with a hard and forceful tone, one that confused Kairi considering how he had spoken of watching how they acted, "Aqua."

Zeus frowned briefly before slowly nodding. "Same deal as with Sora?"

Eraqus nodded, but said nothing.

Same... deal as with Sora? What was that supposed to mean? She was started to feel a bit vexed. Was Xehanort right? Were they keeping something from her? She held her tongue though. Yelling and arguing about it wouldn't get her answers.

They stayed for a few more minutes, long enough, for Zeus's chagrin, for Auron to be announced the winner over Hercules. Eraqus polity excused them before Zeus could start on his 'end-of-the-games' speech as Eraqus called it in their hasty retreat. They left the world afterwords, flying towards home as night fell.

When they landed, Kairi stretched herself a bit. "So, that's all the core and inner worlds then."

"All?" questioned Eraqus.

"Er... I might have gone to Tristram with Sora and Mickey," she admitted.

Eraqus merely sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Not something I wanted to happen yet."

"No kidding," she muttered, "That Aidan guy is creepy."

Eraqus didn't reply.

"So, do I start going to outer worlds next?" she asked.

"Not yet, I plan to keep you closer to home for awhile," he explained.

She frowned at that.

Eraqus raised an eyebrow in response. "Do you think that they don't need our protection?"

"Well... no," she admitted.

"You helping to cover our closer worlds allows each of us to spread further out in return," explained Eraqus.

"I guess, well, time to see if they left us any leftovers," said Kairi with chagrin they moved to enter the keep.

To her surprise, when they arrived in the mess hall, there were two plates with flickers of magic glowing around them, a note on the table between them. Kairi walked over and picked it up.

_For our friends when they get their lazy butts back._

_-Sora_

_:)_

That cheeky bastard...

She poked a finger into one of the plates, the moment she did, the magic around them faded. The food had been kept warm and fresh...

Tch... well... it was a nice gesture she guessed. She grudgingly sat down and ate alongside Eraqus before they retired for the night.


	15. The Dark Truth

_One Month Later..._

Kairi hummed energetically as she flew through the Lanes Between on her first real unsupervised solo mission. Finally, for the first time since she had become a Keyblade Apprentice, they were letting her off the leash, letting her go off to a world of her choosing. They had given her a purple gem to attach to her hip, what they said was a communication device Yen Sid had made, and told her to contact them if she needed help. She didn't plan to ask for help, but, it was nice to have the option.

This last month had been one heck of a learning experience. The first week had been a repeat of her starting one, revisiting all the worlds except for Tristram again. Afterwords, she had worked up the nerve to ask Eraqus if she could focus on the worlds that really needed them. Beyond the others, Alexandria and Lordaeran needed the most help, swamped by darkness as they were. He had thankfully relented, though, he had started to make her take rest days as a compromise. She grudgingly accepted the bargain, because in truth, after fighting for a day in either world, she did come home exhausted.

But boy was it worth it. For one, she got to help out those who really needed it. As much as Beatrix and Garnet thought their world's fate sealed, Kairi did her best to prove them otherwise. She didn't quite think herself strong enough yet to go and try to seal the tear to the Realm of Darkness in their world, but, she figured she would be soon enough. That was the second reason it was worth it, she was growing, by leaps and bounds. She knew she still wasn't as strong as Sora or Riku, but, she figured she was getting closer. Not to mention, both Beatrix and Garnet, in addition to the paladins of Lordaeran, were excellent teachers.

Arthas had taught her how to heal at distance with a burst of light, rather than having to physically touch someone. That, she could admit, was a great ability in order to help someone out of range. Beatrix had started trying to teach her Stock Break, though, that technique was a bit harder than just bursting someone with light like Shock did. Garnet was also a work in progress because of how Beatrix always had the young woman resting. But boy, did Kairi want to learn how to cast Holy. That light magic was, to quote Sora, awesome.

Not that her fellow Keybearers weren't good teachers themselves. Eraqus had helped her learn how to consciously perform what she called 'Light Chains', the technique she had used to bind the Demon Tower her first time in Lordaeran. Sora had shown her how to do Sonic Blade, which she could grudgingly admit, was fun as hell to use. Zipping around the battlefield like that was thrilling...

But...

On the other end of the spectrum, she was horrifically bad at magic. Mickey and Yen Sid struggled to even get her to be able to perform the basic magics. Not to mention, she wasn't near physically strong enough yet to perform some of the things she had seen Terra and Riku do. Ars Solum, and _ESPECIALLY_ Terra's Light Ars Solum, was one of the most insanely powerful techniques she had ever seen. To see a Keyblade rip through the air with that ferocious power made her tingle. The first time she had seen Terra perform that technique, she had been riveted in shock for a bit. Sora and Ven had their own speedier and less physically powerful, but no less dangerous version of it they called Ars Arcanum.

Speaking of Ven. Salvation and Faith. She wanted to be able to perform those technique so badly. The raw power of light Ventus had... she had thought Terra was gifted with it, but that wasn't exactly true. Terra had more raw power, but Ventus, he was a true Keyblade Master of the light, well, and wind too, but call her biased, wind techniques didn't interest Kairi.

The power of a true Keyblade Master... it was just... awing to her, to see them actually fight. Heck, she hadn't even seen what Eraqus could actually do yet. He fought in to far a controlled form, and the missions he came on her with, he mostly served as an observer and instructor. She knew that old Master had to be hiding some serious strength, even if Ven and Terra were stronger than he was.

She couldn't help but wonder, what would it have been like to see Master Aqua fight at her full power and strength?

She smiled sadly at the thought. She had started learning a little bit more about Master Aqua as time passed. Mostly, they had been kinder memories of a time when she was training with Ven and Terra. The two of them, and Master Eraqus, did not often venture into the topic of when Master Aqua had left home in her pursuit of the monsters called Unversed, and then, after Xehanort. That topic, even ten years later, was an extremely sensitive one to them.

Or... perhaps it was because they were dancing around the subject.

Most of what she knew about that period of time was an overview. Outside of her interaction with Master Aqua, she had very little concrete details. Though, to be fair, that might be because they didn't have details to give. Her Master had apparently pulled a big disappearing act for a few weeks during that time.

Even then, the times they did meet, they hadn't told her much. She had asked Ven about what had happened before she and Master Aqua had met, about her fight with the Masked Boy she had mentioned in her heart. Ven had told her that she had fought 'Vanitas' and a huge Unversed by herself and nearly died, but, grew really evasive when Kairi asked why her Master had gone off alone afterwards.

It vexed her, to know so little, and know that everyone, including Sora and Riku, appeared to know whatever it was that she didn't. She could see it in their eyes whenever she got close to the subject. Especially Sora, whenever she pestered him, he got really guilty and told her she'd have to ask the Masters. She figured she might be able to work and answer out of him at some-point with a bit of prodding. It just wasn't in Sora's nature to be able to keep a secret or lie.

She frowned in contemplation at the thought. Sora was a conundrum for her. At times, she wanted to hold his happy-go-lucky nature against him, but, it was just so hard to. He went out of his way to do small nice things for her and the others. A cheerful word, an encouraging compliment, a warm meal waiting for them after a long mission, a quick cure spell out on the field. Though, on that note, she didn't hesitate to give him a good whack if he got over protective or smothery.

She almost wished he were more like Riku, almost. Riku was quiet, controlled, and respectful, well, unless Xehanort was mentioned, then the boy had a temper. She got the feeling he didn't have the highest opinion of her at the moment. It _might_ have something to do with the fact she had booted his best friend in his stomach the first time they had met. Neither of them had gone out of their way to approach the other, and to be frank, that was acceptable to her. They were allies, they didn't have to be best buddies...

Especially when any of them might not make it back from a given mission if something went wrong...

_Ripple_

Kairi gave a startled yelp into her helmet as a ripple, a distortion of energy, rolled over her. She froze, a shiver rolling down her spine, as she felt **_IT_**. For the first time since Traverse Town, she felt _**IT**_ on the move again. She glanced around, spotting a star blinking in and out in the distance...

Wait... she knew that star, that world...

_THAT WAS ALEXANDRIA!_

Beatrix, Garnet!

_NO!_

Kairi ground her teeth in seething anger. **_IT_** was going to take more of her friends from her. No, not if she could help it! She didn't care about the danger. She had seen enough people fall to the Heartless, fall to **_IT_**. She didn't care if she wasn't ready. She wasn't afraid. She was going to save them. She didn't need to be able to destroy **_IT_** in order to save them, like Sora and Riku had done for her, she'd take them to safety. Kari turned her Glider and took off at top speed.

There was a brief glow of purple energy from the communication's crystal at her hip and Terra's voice echoed through her head. " _Everyone, get back to the keep, now!_ "

Kairi hesitated briefly before ignoring his order. She was probably going to get in trouble for this, but, she wasn't going to let her friends down when they really needed her. She shot through the Lanes Between, coming up to Alexandria. She was mortified to see a dark haze coating the entire world, giving the appearance of being smothered. Like a hurricane, the dark haze swirled around a specific spot, where she directly felt the presence of **_IT_** coming from, the eye of the dark storm. So this was what it looked like to see a world being consumed from the outside...

She braced herself and dove into the world. Her glider tore into the dark haze and penetrated through to the world...

She was not prepared to see what she saw. She had expected the entire city to be under siege, to see as desperate struggle as Traverse Town had put up. Instead, Alexandria was perfectly intact. She could see Beatrix and Garnet on the outer walls of Alexandria with their troops at ready, but they weren't fighting the Heartless...

And speaking of those monsters...

There were _THOUSANDS_ of them gathered on the field outside of Alexandria. But... they weren't moving, they weren't fighting, it's like... like they were waiting for something, it was bizarre...

She flew down to Beatrix and willed away her helmet. "Beatrix! Garnet!"

The general glared up at her. "What are you doing here? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I'm here to get you and Garnet out of here," she shot bat.

Garnet shook her head. "I will not abandon my people while they are consumed and killed. If this world falls, we fall with it."

Kairi ground her teeth in frustration and banished her glider, leaping down to land on the wall...

...and the moment she did, the moment her feet touched the world, she felt a stiring. She shivered as she felt, and saw every single beady yellow eye of the Heartless turn to stare at her. She felt **_IT_** , she felt it's presence, it's gaze, turn to her. She understood suddenly, and it scared her, they were waiting for her... **_IT_** was waiting for her...

 _I knew you would come if I came here_ _to this world you favor_ _..._

Kairi froze, her mouth hanging open in shock. T-that voice... impossible... it... it sounded... it sounded like...

She leaped off the wall and out into the plains of Alexandria, not pausing as General Beatrix exclaimed, "Kairi! What are you doing? Stop!"

She landed and rushed out, raising her Keyblade to destroy the Heartless blocking her path, when something unexpected happened...

The Heartless didn't fight her, instead, they fell back, clearing a path before her...

_The heart that reeks so purely with light, come to me, and I will spare this world..._

She burst into a full run, ignoring the Heartless and rushing past them. She forgot about everything else. Alexandria, the Heartless, the presence of _**IT**_ , the tone and the subject of what the voice had said, and focused on what that one voice sounded like, her Master's voice...

She ran, and ran, and ran, until finally... she saw her... just like in that dream, she saw her Master. Long blue hair extending a bit down past her shoulders. Black and gray version of her clothing, with blue threaded through here and there. On her chest, instead of her pink stripes and that Mark of the Keyblade Master's button, was a strange blue and black heart-like symbol that looked like the Emblem Heartless symbol, but blue.

Kairi glazed over that differences, simply seeing her Master, and rushed to her, crying out desperately, "Master Aqua!"

She practically leapt at her, wrapping her arms around the woman and cried into her chest. "M-master Aqua... t-they told me y-you were gone..."

There was a curious, if but dark chuckle from the woman. "Well, that's not a reaction I've received to my presence before."

Kairi froze. Something... something sounded _wrong_ with her voice.

Kairi slowly loosened her grip and glanced up into Master Aqua's eyes, her cruel dark blue eyes looking down at her hungrily that were not like the Master Aqua in her memory. "Master Aqua...?"

A malicious grin slowly spread across Master Aqua's face. "Another who calls me by that name, I suppose I should get used to it by now."

Something was wrong... wait... the presence... **_IT_**... the sensation was emanating _FROM_ Master Aqua... what was going on?!

Kairi brought her arms back to her side and took a hesitant step back. "I don't understand..."

She gave a yelp when 'Master Aqua' grabbed her by the collar of her armor and lifted her up. "I've been waiting for you child, ever since I first felt your light in the town born of ruined worlds. I've watched and waited, for your heart to ripen. Call me greedy, but I can wait no longer. It's time to savor this morsel."

Kairi trembled in fear. "M-master Aqua, w-what are you saying?"

'Master Aqua' slowly ran her tongue along her lips. "I'm going to rip your heart out of your chest, feed on it, and drown you in a darkness your heart will never waken from."

Kairi stared at her in open shock. W-what the hell was this... this wasn't real... it wasn't real! She pressed her senses against the awful presence, trying to understand. Was this some kind of illusion? Some kind of trick to get her to lower her guard? No, the presence didn't appear to even know of Master Aqua aside from people calling her by that name, and didn't appear to personally know her. She didn't understand, why did the presence look like her Master? She felt like a Heartless, the blue Heartless symbol on her chest proved she was a Heartless, so why...

Kairi felt her heart stop for the briefest of moments as a memory hit her.

_"Master Aqua," said Sora, "Was the first to fall to the Leader of the Heartless, the first to be consumed."_

By the light no...

No...

No...

No...

NO!

 ** _IT_** was Master Aqua... **_IT_** was Master Aqua's Heartless... her own Master was the one who had taken her grandma... taken her world... taken her second home and all her friends and family...

Kairi couldn't help but let loose a broken sob of anguish. This was... it wasn't... why...?

Aqua's Heartless sniffed. "Ah, the stench of fear and despair, fill your heart with it child. It makes it so much sweeter."

Kairi was lifted higher and then slammed into the ground, cringing with pain. Aqua's Heartless waved a hand and disintegrated Kairi's armor easily with a puff of dark energy. She brutally knelt down and drove a knee into Kairi's stomach, making her scream in pain. She leaned forward and lowered her mouth to whisper into Kairi's ear.

"Make your heart scream for me," she purred, before pulling her head back to stare Kairi in her eyes.

Kairi screamed, she screamed as she had never screamed before as the Heartless put her hand into, through Kairi's chest, phasing through her skin, and gripped her heart. Her mind, her body, her heart, it blazed with unbelievable agony.

_BOOM!_

A massive explosion of light ripped out of Kairi, bleaching the ground and air around them white with light, obliterating any and all nearby Heartless. Yet, Aqua's Heartless did not budge, she barely seem phased by Kairi's light. Disgruntled and slightly pained at most, as if it were nothing more than a slight inconvenience.

Kairi despaired. She might be a Princess of Heart, her heart might be of pure light, but before the darkness of her Master, a darkness that had eaten countless worlds and countless hearts to fuel her power, it wasn't enough.

The grip on her heart tightened, and Kairi screamed for what she thought would be the final time, " ** _MASTER AQUA! PLEASE_**!"

Then it stopped. The grip was still there in her chest, but the pain stopped, it no longer felt let her heart was being slowly ripped out. She breathed in raggedly and glanced at the Heartless. A look of pure confusion and disbelief coated the Heartless's face. She slowly pulled her hand out of Kairi's chest and staggered away, a hand clutching her own chest, another resting on her forehead.

The light emanating from Kairi withered and failed, and Kairi simply laid there, unable to draw out the strength to move. She stared at the Heartless of her Master, confused. Why had she stopped?

The Heartless slowly pulled her hands away from her head and chest, staring as Kairi silently for a moment, before a wicked and devious grin spread across her face. "I've never had the core of my being react like that before."

Kairi stared at her, lost, and weakly asked, "Core...?"

The Heartless chuckled. "Tell me child, tell me _Kairi_ , what do you know of the Heartless?"

Wait... how did the Heartless now know her name?

When she didn't respond, the Heartless continued, "They call us Heartless, but that's not exactly true. We are born from hearts that were consumed by darkness and enter into sleep. As such, we are not Heartless in the sense the name gives us. I suppose the name has something to do with the fact we consume without concern, I don't truly know or care. Regardless, the heart I was born from, my core, reacted at your words."

The Heartless licked her lips hungrily. "A memory of the life my prior self lived surfaced, something that's never happened before. You pulled at this heart, and I saw you, as a child. I saw my former self, wielding a Keyblade, defending you."

Kairi's heart skipped a beat. Did... did that mean her Master was still in there somewhere...?

The Heartless raised her arms into the sky, looking up, and lamented, "And with that memory, came bits and pieces of others, an incomplete puzzle. I never cared for the life I lived before, of my 'other half', and I still don't, but... I saw it, I felt it. The bits and pieces of true knowledge and power, of things beyond my current understanding."

The Heartless lowered her arms and head back down, walking over to kneel down next to Kairi. She reached a hand forward, making Kairi tense, but to her surprise, she didn't reach for her heart. The Heartless reached up, and ran a hand through Kairi's hair. It might have been comforting, if it hadn't been so _rough_ , so, _possessive_. It scared her...

The Heartless leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "You, Kairi, are the key to that lost knowledge and power in the core of my being. I will use you to awaken every memory that lurks within. So, make your heart scream for me, awaken everything that I desire."

Kairi screamed once more as the Heartless put her hand into Kairi's chest and clenched over her heart...

* * *

Aqua's Heartless stared down at the comatose Kairi. She had gone unconscious and stopped screaming some time ago. Her heart was bordering on fading and entering into a permanent sleep, never to awaken.

She couldn't have that. In fact, she was going to consume this girl's heart before she'd let it simply fade away. This child's oh so glorious heart of pure light. She couldn't help but wonder, what would it taste like?

She refocused. She had regained a snipit of her other self, of Aqua's memories. In particular, she recalled much about this girl, this _Kairi_. She was a 'Princess of Heart' one of seven. She had smelt one of them, from afar once before. Yet, they did not smell like this girl's heart, like this girl's light. It was different, changed, in a way that made her unique. It was the heart of a fighter of pure light, not of a 'pampered princess'.

She would feast on this glorious heart one day...

After she had gained everything she wanted to know from her screams. It was strange, before those memories had awoken, she had desired nothing more than to feed on hearts. To bring all hearts within her. There, they would be held, forever her's, forever safe, protected from anyone but her...

Yet...

This knowledge that Aqua's heart held within it. It spoke of powers she hadn't a clue about. She had caught sight of Aqua using abilities she hadn't seen before. A gauntlet of dark energy? It peaked her interest. Then there was the knowledge, a single fragmented pair of words, unlinked to any other, had caught her eye...

Kingdom Hearts...

What was it? She had to know, and if it truly was a heart as the name suggested...

She smiled hungrily. "Then I will feed on it."

To that end though, the girl needed to survive, and she needed to grow stronger. Kairi hadn't lasted nearly long enough for her tastes. She would focus on strengthening and tasting Kairi's heart, awakening more chains of memories as time passed. As for the girl surviving part...

She knew where the Keybearers lived, in a home in the worlds that laid between. She had never gone for them, simply because she didn't care enough to. They had ceased being a threat a long time ago. When the final world aside from theirs fell, she would savor them as a delectable dessert.

She opened a corridor of darkness, briefly shielded the girl with an aura of darkness, and tossed her through without a care. Let the Keybearers see to the girl's survival. With that, she turned, dismissed her Heartless army, and walked out of the world through a Corridor of Darkness, off to contemplate what few memories she had regained, and make plans for the girl...

* * *

Sora paced back and forth anxiously in the keep of the Land of Departure as Ven tried the communication crystal again, "Dammit... where is she? Why isn't she answering her communication's crystal?"

All of the Masters and the two apprentices had gathered to discuss the sudden resurgence of **_IT_** , all of them except Kairi, she had never returned from the Lanes Between...

Sora's stomach was twisting itself in a knot, his heart crying out for Kairi. "Somethings wrong Ven... I just know it..."

Terra walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Have faith Sora, she..."

They all stopped moving as they felt a distortion of darkness outside the keep. For the briefest of moments, he felt **_IT_** , felt the darkness of Aqua's Heartless, then it was gone. Sora felt confused for a moment, before his heart lurched and screamed at him to go. He took off without pausing, ignoring the other's cries for him to wait.

He burst out of the keep and looked down the steps, giving a strangled cry when he saw Kairi laying facedown before the steps, armor gone, black energy seeping off of her, the darkness of **_IT._**

He bolted down the steps and knelt down next to her, turning her over and then shaking her in pure panic. "Kairi? Kairi!"

He could hardly feel her presence... her light... or her heart...

"Sora!" called out Ven.

"It's Kairi, she needs help!" yelled Sora, turning to look up at Ven and the others.

They were down in an instant, with Terra yelling, "Riku! Get the princesses!"

Sora, Ven, Terra, and Eraqus each grabbed a limb and hefted Kairi up, cringing at the contact with the dark energy engulfing her, moving to carry her up the steps. They brought her to her room and laid her on her bed as the Princesses of Heart filed into the room. There was a collection of gasps, cries, and horrified looks from them before Aurora strode forward.

"Everyone who isn't a princess, stand back," ordered Aurora.

The Keybearers collectively flattened themselves against the wall. There really wasn't enough space for all of them, but like hell was Sora going to offer to leave the room. He watched anxiously as the Princesses of Heart gathered themselves before Kairi's bed, aimed a hand at the unconscious girl, and unleashed their collective light. Sora had to raise a hand to shield his eyes from the brightness.

He blinked a few times, clearing his vision. The Princesses each had streams of light going from their hands to Kairi's body, eating away at the darkness surrounding her. When they finished clearing it away, Aurora walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on Kairi's chest, and closing her eyes.

A pale, mortified look crossed her face. "By the light..."

Sora's heart sunk at those words.

Aurora's face contorted with a mix between horror and fury. "I've never... I've never seen a heart so badly damaged before..."

"So, she still has her heart?" clarified Terra.

"If you can call what's left of it a heart," said Aurora bitterly, "This damage... I can't tell if **_IT_ ** even tried to take the heart out, or if it was simple torture and destruction."

Sora felt like he had been gut punched over and over again, leaning heavily against the wall, his body shaking. Riku put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, but, Sora didn't even look at him, gazing tearfully at Kairi's body.

"That doesn't make sense," murmured Terra, " ** _IT_ ** doesn't do this, it devours hearts and moves on. **_IT's_** like an instinctual animal that can speak. This last month, ever since Traverse Town, hasn't made sense regarding **_IT_**."

Sora bit his lips, wanting to scream at Terra for not focusing on Kairi, but, he knew this was how he functioned to survive these last ten years. The man tried to be strong, for all of them, and let nothing phase him, focusing on the bigger picture.

Sora wasn't Terra though.

"C-can you do anything for her?" he desperately asked the Princesses.

"I don't know, we can try, but that's all we can do. The damage is so extreme, and **_IT's_** dark taint is all over the ruins of her heart," said Aurora heavily.

Aurora glanced around the room at the other Princesses, each of them nodding one by one. Aurora stood, turned, and aimed her hand against at Kairi, the rest of them doing the same. Light poured out of their hands and into the girl.

Yen Sid spoke quietly as they worked. "Even if they restore her heart, the unfortunate chances are she will already have been lost to sleep."

"And none of us have the power of waking," murmured Eraqus.

Sora slid to the ground, a sob escaping his mouth, "Kairi! Please don't go!"

Sora couldn't help but cry as Ven knelt down and gave him hug, crying into his friend and Master's shoulder...


	16. Birth By Sleep

_A red haired girl drifted down through an ocean tiredly. She didn't know how she got here, or where here even was. Truth be told... she didn't even know who she was anymore. All she felt and knew was unbelievable pain, but, the further she descended into the ocean, the less the pain hurt, and the more tired and sleepy she got. The pain just started fading away... like everything else... consumed by sleep... blissful sleep..._

_She looked around, sighting hundreds of thousands, if not millions of other people and creatures falling with her, at various speeds. They were all scattered around at a distance. Some... looked like they were trying to fight the descent into the depths... into sleep... why though... why fight it? It made everything better... made all the pain go away..._

_She glanced down deeper into the ocean, towards her destination. She saw what looked like... worlds... trapped in bubbles down in the ocean. Strangely, while the ocean itself was dark, the area around the bubbled worlds was colorful and cloudy, almost like a dream-landscape._

_Was... that it? Were the worlds she was falling towards dreaming?_

_She smiled softly. She wanted to dream too... and... the world due under her... it felt so familiar... it was like... a radiant garden..._

_She cringed at those thoughts, feeling a spike of pain through her chest. Radiant Garden... her home...?_

_She smiled happily. That little pain was okay she guessed... she now knew she was going home, she was going to dream with all her friends and family there... well... if she had any there anyway, she didn't really know._

_She began swimming, not away from sleep like those around her, but towards it..._

"Kairi! Please don't go!" came a sob.

_She paused and flinched at those words. Who was Kairi? Where was she going?_

_She noticed suddenly, little threads of light trying to wrap around her and tug her back up, away from sleep._

_No... no! She wanted to go home! She wanted to sleep!_

_She struggled and dove deeper, pulling away from the threads, trying to ignore the voices._

"She's... she's fighting us...?"

"What?! Why?!"

"Sora... would you want to come back to the kind of pain she must feel at the moment?"

"Kairi wouldn't just give up!"

_She shook her head and covered her ears. Why wouldn't they stop talking? They were so loud._

_She kept swimming down, the voices slowly receding, becoming whispers. She was getting closer, she'd be there soon... she..._

_Her eyes drooped a bit, her arms tiring... she didn't need to swim anymore... she could just drift down now... she... wait..._

_She turned her head, sighting someone... doing something strange..._

_Where everyone else was either drifting down... or struggling to not drift to sleep... there was someone swimming horizontally through the ocean... the act felt... unnatural and wrong... it was either sleep... or awaken... why and how was this person... this... blue-haired woman... swimming like that?_

_She dismissed the oddity and turned her eyes back down to Radiant Garden, smiling softly and closing her eyes. When she woke, she'd be dreaming with everyone else..._

_GRAB_

_She stopped descending all of the sudden, feeling someone catch her. She struggled and cried. Why? Why was someone not letting her sleep?_

_She opened her eyes and glanced up. It was the blue-haired woman... up close, she could see the exhaustion coating the woman, dark bags under her eyes... why had she stopped her from going to sleep?_

_The girl tried to shove the woman off. "No... let me sleep..."_

_The woman looked her over with her blue eyes, struggling to think, and spoke, "You... you're her, aren't you?"_

_It was like a bolt of lightning hit the girl head on. She clutched her chest and screamed into the ocean. Pain, horrific pain ripped through her chest, her heart, at the words, no, not the words, the voice... it felt so familiar..._

_The woman smiled with relief. "I knew it... you her... come on Kairi, I know you're stronger than that, fight the sleep."_

_Kairi... that... was that... her name? Was she the Kairi the voices had been calling to?_

_"I know it's hard Kairi, but you have to fight it. Find something to hold onto Kairi," said the woman._

_"Why...?" Kairi whispered back._

_The woman looked at her sadly. "I thought the same thing when I first got here, all that time ago. But... I remembered that man, who had been crying... crying for me I think. He didn't want me to go to sleep, I didn't want to hurt him by doing so. So I struggled down here alone, well, except for the bald man, but, he went to sleep a long time ago."_

_The blue-haired woman frowned. "Then... everyone else started to arrive by the hundreds, sometimes the thousands, and it scared me. It made me afraid, not for myself, but... for others... others I could vaguely remember caring for. I struggled so hard Kairi, to try to remember them, then..."_

_The woman smiled at her. "Then I remembered you. I remembered the words you spoke to me, that you thought I was a good person, you didn't judge me for... for..."_

_The woman struggled to think. "I... can't remember what I was being judged for, but, I remember that you didn't hold it against me."_

_The woman clutched her tightly. "I used you as a light in this darkness, to keep me floating above the dreaming worlds. I came to a standstill, but, I had to keep actively thinking and trying to remember. Even if I could come up with nothing, I had to keep struggling, a single lapse could let me drift further down..."_

_A worry crossed the woman's face. "I didn't notice it at first, but, even if I wasn't descending on my own will... day by day, it felt like some kind of weight, some kind of darkness kept piling onto me, slowly trying to shove me down further and further. I've fought it as hard as I could, but, I was getting closer to the dreaming worlds... I don't know how much longer I would have been able to keep myself afloat..."_

_Uncertainty and fear passed over the woman as she glanced up, and then back down at Kairi. "Then, something... changed... something went wrong, horribly wrong. A few hours ago, I think anyway, time is... weird down here. I heard a scream, a scream that hurt me so badly Kairi, I... I think it was your scream. Where all my memories of you before were dreamlike, crystal clear ones suddenly awoke. I saw myself defending you from some kind of monsters, and started remembering random words and images... but... it's not right... something's wrong Kairi, something's terribly wrong."_

_The woman trembled. "I was... jerked upward, and felt weak, extremely weak, as if strength was being ripped from me. After that, I could start swimming, but, it felt wrong, swimming like this feels wrong, unnatural. I was jerked upward a few more times before it stopped. Then..."_

_She looked at Kairi fearfully. "Then I saw a bright light at the top of the ocean, and saw someone, saw you, falling. Well... I didn't know it was you at first, but, I felt like I had to see if it was you."_

_Kairi stared at the woman silently. It... hurt to try and think and process what had been said, but... who... was this woman?_

_The woman dismissed her fears and grew affectionate, brushing hair away from Kairi's face. "M_ _y, how you've grown since I last saw you, but..."_

_The woman frowned intently. "Why are you down here? This place... the... the Realm of Sleep... is no place for you."  
_

_"Realm... of... Sleep?" questioned Kairi._

_The woman struggled to think. "From what I can remember, it's... a place for sleeping hearts... and sleeping worlds, where they go after their hearts have been lost to shadow, badly damaged, or destroyed."_

_The woman bit her lip. "You... are a Princess of Heart... right? Your heart can't be tainted by darkness... which means it was one of the latter two. You are too whole to have been fully destroyed by whatever is sending so many worlds and people down here..."_

_Anger entered the woman's face. "So... who harmed you? Who dared?"_

_Kairi shook her head. "I... don't... remember..."_

_She looked at the blue-haired woman, as much as she wanted to sleep, she felt drawn to her, she wanted to know who she was more than she wanted to sleep. "Who... are... you...?"_

_The woman smiled sadly. "You don't remember me Kairi? Try to, try to with everything that you are, everything that you have. You have to find something Kairi, something to hold onto, or the pull of sleep will drag you down into the dreaming worlds. If you can use me as something you can hold onto, nothing would make me happier."_

_Kairi... felt the desire to do what the woman said... to know who she was..._

_No... not a desire..._

_She..._

_She had to know..._

_It wasn't a choice._

_She struggled, her body starting to glow. "M...M...as...ter..."_

_She clenched her fists tightly, a soft light radiating around her, illuminating their part of the ocean. "A...q...u...a..."_

_Pain ripped through her chest again, but she smiled weakly through it. "Master Aqua..."_

_The woman, Master Aqua, smiled back and nodded. "I'm glad, Kairi..."_

_She glanced up and pointed. Kairi turned her head to see little tendrils of light trying to burrow through the water towards her._

_Master Aqua spoke quietly, "They're calling for you. Go, leave me, please, you don't belong down here with me."_

_As much as she wanted to sleep, she desired to obey, she tried to, tried for her Master, but, she the moment she tried to swim up, horrific pain rocketed through her chest and she stopped struggling, her eyes drooping. She didn't want to hurt anymore... even if she went to sleep... she was happy to have remembered Master Aqua's name... even if she didn't know anything else about her. The name, that would be enough... enough for her... to comfort her in dreams...  
_

_"Kairi?" whispered Master Aqua._

_"So sleepy," murmured Kairi, her eyes drooping, "And... it hurts so much... I'm sorry... I can't..."_

_Master Aqua sighed, a resigned look on her face. "Don't worry Kairi, I... I know what I have to do. I'll get you out of here, get you out of this darkness... for you, it's a small price to pay, and maybe it's better this way. If I go to sleep, maybe whatever jerked me upwards, whatever is trying to steal me, won't be able to get to me..."_

_She frowned. "Or... at least it will be harder, hopefully..."_

_Master Aqua glowed black and purple for a moment, before it faded away, and a weak light emanated from the woman. She used it, and pushed, sending Kairi rising up through the ocean towards the tendrils of light, but, at a cost. Kairi could see the woman close her eyes and drift down into the ocean of sleep and the sleeping worlds as Kairi was grabbed by the light and pulled towards the surface..._

_...and onto the other side..._

* * *

"Thank the light, her heart stirred," came a voice of an older woman.

Kairi weakly opened her eyes... there were... five woman and a young girl... standing next to her as she laid on a bed... each of them were holding out hands glowing with light... aiming at her...

Behind them... were other people... but...

She closed her eyes and passed out, unable to maintain consciousness through the pain...

* * *

"It's been days Aurora... when... when is she going to wake up? came a grief stricken boy's voice.

Kairi weakly opened an eye, sighting an unfamiliar boy and woman talking.

The woman spoke, "When she's ready. We've stabilized her heart, but it is still badly damaged. It's going to take time to properly heal it. Even with all six of us, the damage and lingering darkness from _**IT**_ is so extreme it will take weeks of constant effort. I know you want to see her safe and sound, whole and awake, but this takes time. We don't have infinite energy Sora, and we can't rush this."

Sora... the name... it felt familiar...

"S...o...r...a...," whispered Kairi.

"Kairi?!" came the boy's shocked voice.

Kairi couldn't response, her eye closed and her head tilted to the side, lost to pain and sleep again...

* * *

The next time Kairi awoke, she was found herself almost alone in the room, save for a boy sleeping fitfully in a chair next to her bed. He was... familiar to her... he was...

"Sora...?" she questioned.

The boy stirred briefly, but did not awaken. That was fine though... she didn't want to talk to him, not until she remembered who he... was...?

He... he was... a... Keybearer... an apprentice... like her... right...?

She smiled faintly before losing herself to pain and sleep again...

* * *

Kairi stirred when she felt something cold pressed against her lips. "Kairi, we can sustain you off our light for only so long. You need to at least drink something."

She slowly opened her eyes, sighting a woman in a blue dress with blonde hair leaning over her, a glass of water offered. Kairi opened her mouth and took the water in. It was bliss, relief for her parched throat.

"Your awake!" said the woman with relief.

The woman...

"I... know you... from somewhere...," murmured Kairi.

The woman frowned. "The damage to your heart... was it truly so extreme to damage your memories?"

Kairi struggled to think. "Au...ro...ra?"

The woman, Aurora, smiled. "We're doing what we can for you Kairi. Surviving what you survived is no small feat. Please, just rest and focus on recovering."

Kairi nodded, already feeling herself tire out, and closed her eyes, drifting off again, but... this time... it was a bit better... it didn't hurt as much...

* * *

Kairi blinked a few times, slowly coming to. She could hear people talking faintly outside the door...

No...

Her door.

This was... her room...?

In... the Land of Departure?

Yes... that's where she lived with... Sora... Master Eraqus... Riku... Master Terra... Master Ventus... Master Mickey... Yen Sid... and... the Princesses of Heart...

Yes...

She lived here... this was home...

Yet...

Why did she suddenly... feel so much anger... towards those she was starting to remember...?

She struggled to think, before exhaustion won over, and she fell asleep again...

* * *

"K-kairi...?" came a quiet voice.

Kairi slowly opened her eyes and turned her head. "Sora..."

The boy looked at her with relief. "So... you remember me?"

Kairi slowly nodded. "M...mostly... it's slowly coming... back to me... every time I... wake up..."

Sora closed his eyes and shuddered with relief, a tear slipping down his face. "You... you don't know how happy I am to hear that. I... I was so scared for you Kairi, I thought you were gone for a moment, they said you were lost to sleep."

Kairi slowly shook her head. "I was... but... I saw her down there... in the path... the ocean leading to... to the Realm of Sleep..."

Sora grew confused. "Saw who?"

"Master Aqua," whispered Kairi happily.

Sora stared at her in open shock. "A-aqua...?"

Kairi nodded, growing tired again. "She... helped me to... remember... and pushed me... back up to the light... and out of sleep..."

She wasn't able to see his reaction, losing herself to her exhaustion again and drifting off...

* * *

Kairi suckered in a breath and sat upright, coughing and clutching her head. "Ugh..."

There came a soft chuckle. "Well, welcome back to the waking world."

Kairi turned to see Aurora walking over to her, a tray of food in her hands, and set it down on Kairi's lap. "Here, you need to eat. Sustaining you with our light for a few weeks can only do so much for you. You're going to feel weak for awhile."

Kairi nodded and slowly ate what was offered, feeling her tiredness come over her again, but, at least most of the pain was finally gone. When she finished, the woman took the tray away, leaving it on a table before returning to gaze sadly at the girl.

Kairi frowned, slowly leaning back to rest on her pillow.

She felt the anger again... it was bubbling to the surface...

She was mad at this woman, who had been helping her and healing her. Why would she be mad at her caretaker? She... was missing something...

Perhaps... next time she woke up... she'd remember...

It was on the tip of her tongue...

But...

She closed her eyes, and drifted off into sleep one more time...

* * *

Kairi slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She turned her head to see six woman, the Princesses of Heart, each looking rather tired and worn out, sitting in chairs around the room. Aurora was the only one still up and about, aiming a glowing hand of light at Kairi.

She could feel the warmth entering her heart, mending the last remnants of the damage that had been afflicted on her...

Afflicted on her...

By...

Kairi's eyes narrowed intensely.

By Master Aqua's Heartless.

She remembered everything.

Before Aurora could react, Kairi was up, and gripping her wrist and throat, hostility shinning off her eyes. "You... you all _LIED_ to me!"

"K-kairi!" chocked Aurora.

"Let her go!" came a fearful squeal from Alice.

She did so, but not the way they wanted. She grabbed the collar of Aurora's gown, lifted her up, and threw her against the nearby wall, electing a pained cry from the woman. She didn't care, didn't care about the gasps of shock, surprise, and horror from the other Princesses.

She was _PISSED_!

Kairi screamed at them, " _WHERE_ are they? Where are the Masters?"

Aurora slowly rose to a knee, a worried look on her face. "Kairi... please calm down..."

" _TELL ME_!" she roared at her.

Aurora flinched and pointed out the door. "They are meeting in the grand hall at the moment..."

Kairi made for the door and kicked it open, nearly snapping it off it's hinges. She felt her power rippling through her body in a way that it felt like it hadn't done for weeks. She briefly focused her effort, wrapping her light around her heart, and finished off the little damage that was left in it. Refreshed and healed by the Princesses, her light felt back in tip top shape, it was easy work.

She stormed down the hall, out of the Princesses Suite, and into the grand hall. Sora was the first to notice her, a look of pure bliss on his face.

"Kairi!" he shouted with relief, rushing to her...

Only for her to draw a fist back and _SLAM_ it into his face. His nose bent, blood flying out of it, and he flew back and onto the ground, thudding and skidding along. Kairi stopped and watched him bounce, satisfaction rippling through her.

Dead silence filled the room as everyone regarded her with shock and wariness.

"How... **_DARE YOU_**!" she yelled at Sora, before turning her attention to the Masters, "How **_DARE YOU_** keep the truth from me!"

Eraqus's gaze hardened. "Kairi, calm down."

"Shut the hell up _Eraqus_ ," she spat, dropping the honorific 'Master' intentionally.

Mickey sighed. "Aurora and I told you it wasn't a good idea to hide it from her."

"You people were supposed to be my friends, my instructors, my teachers, my Masters," spat Kairi, "Seems I was wrong, any trust I placed in you, misplaced."

She closed her eyes, a tear streaming down her face. "Master Aqua is the only one I could ever trust, even now. She saved me from the sleep her Heartless cast me into."

She opened her eyes at the sound of Terra's voice, noting the conflicted look on his face. "You... really saw Aqua there? In the Realm of Sleep?"

Kairi nodded and jabbed out bitterly, "Yeah, I did. She hadn't completely succumbed to sleep, even after all this time she held on, using me as her only memory to try and stay floating about the dreaming worlds."

Terra looked surprised, and hurt. "You? Not..."

"Not what? Not you? Not Ventus? Not Eraqus?" spat Kairi viciously, "She told me that she was happy that I called her a good person, even when she used the darkness. She was so happy that I said that to her and didn't judge her. So tell me, _Terra_..."

"Did you judge her?" she demanded, "Did you all judge her for the darkness she used?"

Terra recoiled and opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Yeah, I thought so. She used me, because I'm the only one who never held it against her who wasn't, in her own words all those years ago, an evil witch or a scheming old man," she rebuked relentlessly.

She bowed her head, her voice growing shaky. "Now... it doesn't matter anymore. She used that memory of me, that light, and gave it up to push me up and out of the Realm of Sleep. She gave it up so I could wake up, while she drifted off fully into sleep."

She glared hatefully around the room. "Something she wouldn't have had to do if you all hadn't kept it from me! If I had known, if I had known before hand, I wouldn't have run to Master Aqua's Heartless and gave her a fucking hug thinking she was my Master when I should have just grabbed Beatrix and Garnet and booked it!"

Terra winced at that, pain and remorse on his face. "Kairi... I..."

"No more lies, no more secrets," demanded Kairi, "I want the truth, the full truth, because frankly..."

Barret would have been proud of the curses that slipped from her mouth, "I'm fucking sick of you people keeping important shit like this from me!"

Terra stared at her passively for a moment before sighing and rising to his feet. "Very well, come."

He started off down a hall, Kairi moving to follow, before she paused at Sora's voice. "Kairi..."

She glanced back briefly at the sorrowful boy as he whispered, "I'm sorry."

She turned her head, turned her back on him, and walked away without a word. She followed Terra down the hall, deeper into the keep. She followed him into a place she had never been before, a great vault with a large keyhole. Terra aimed his Keyblade at it, and unlocked it. Inside was a completely white room with simple table with papers scattered around it. Terra crossed his arms, leaned against the wall, nodding to the table.

Kairi strode over and sat down, glancing over the papers, whispering a tittle that made her eager, and yet extremely apprehensive at the same time, "The Xehanort Reports...?"

She stared at them for a moment, before organizing them in numerical order, and began to read...


	17. Confessions and Betrayal

Kairi thought she had felt disturbed when she read that Xehanort had split Ven's heart in half...

But now...

Her hands, her body was shaking as she read aloud, "Rather than simply let things be and await my vessel as I had intended to do with Terra, I decided that I would return under the pretense of checking in on Ventus. That way, I could keep inflaming her darkness, and start guiding her into it's depths, reshaping her in my image. Once I am done, and have banished or submerged her heart in mine, she will become the perfect vessel..."

Kairi set the Xehanort Report 11 down on the table, wanting to heave so badly. "What... what _**IS**_ this...?"

"It's madness," said Terra coldly, "Xehanort... is, as far as I'm concerned, evil incarnate, second only to **_IT_**."

Kairi turned to stare at him with equal coldness. "You mean Master Aqua's Heartless."

Terra flinched at that.

"What, do you call her **_IT_ ** just to try ignore the obvious, that she's my Master, your friend's darkness given life and form of its own?" she spat, "I had an excuse, I didn't know any better. I do now."

Terra looked away. "Its... we... we call it what it is sometimes... but... it hurts to much to call it that all the time, a reminder of our failure, and her fate."

Kairi turned back to the reports silently, grabbing report 12 and starting to read it, her eyebrows furrowing. "Vessels...?"

One Xehanort was bad enough... many Xehanorts? That thought was terrifying.

She read over the report, it was mostly nothing she hadn't already known. She had felt the darkness Xehanort had left in her Master's heart when she banished it. She flipped to the final report and began to read, a smug smile crossing her face as she did. Xehanort didn't know that she had been the one to banish the darkness he had left in her Master's heart. To read the growing unease and fear Xehanort had for her Master was pleasing. It was amusing, in a way, to understand something he didn't. Her Master had probably dove head first into darkness for the sake of her friends. That's why Kairi had never held it against her, and praised her for it, because her Master used darkness for the light, for her friends.

Though, the mention of backup plans had her ill at ease. One of them was probably responsible for what had happened, speaking of which...

"How did my Master end up a Heartless?" asked Kairi, turning the chair to face Terra.

Terra sighed heavily. "It's probably best to just start at the beginning. Come, let's return to the others."

Kairi rose to her feet and followed him back to the throne room where everyone, Princesses included, were talking quietly and apprehensively. A hush came over the gathered crowd. Terra bid the other masters rise and motioned for Kairi to sit on the middle throne. She did, and waited patiently.

Slowly, Terra, Ven, and Eraqus took turns speaking. The started first on the day where everything had went wrong. When Xehanort had brought a damaged Ventus to the Land of Departure and cracked Master Aqua's heart. It... to be franked, pissed her off how blind they were. From what she understood about her Master prior to that, she had always been a controlled young woman. To suddenly go off the handle like that, and to continually struggle. They should have _KNOWN_ something unnatural was going on, not just her struggling with darkness.

The four years of Master Aqua struggling against her darkness... no, not her darkness, her cracked heart, that was more accurate. The nightmares they'd hear her wake up to... the failing and struggling lessons... the slow withdrawal into herself outside of their friendship... her efforts to focus on helping Ventus over herself. It pained Kairi to hear it, her Master's suffering...

Then, the final night. When they had heard her screaming horrifically, and had found her in bed with Keyblade drawn, crying about Terra and Ven leaving her... hearing that hurt so much. Yet, to draw a Keyblade in a dream-state, they mused that, looking back, they figured she might have had a Dive to Heart. After that, the Mark of Mastery Exam...

She had actually been surprised. "Command Styles...? Why haven't I been taught one?"

Eraqus paused his retelling at her interruption. "Command Styles awaken during the Mark of Mastery Exam, not before. Not to mention, we've been changing our training methods, it's best to be able to learn to draw out the full power of your heart without needing the styles."

He continued, detailing the battle, and the failing afterwords. It pissed her off so badly when he told her of the request he had given Terra, to keep an eye on Master Aqua. In short, it was a request to spy on her, even if it was for good intentions. When Master Aqua had apparently overheard and took off in distress, Kairi didn't blame her Master...

Then, there was the witch, Maleficent. Apparently, she had used her Master's weakened state to cause her to hurt Aurora. The encounter Terra and Ven had with her there, the anger and rage her Master showed, she didn't blame her. They glazed over their search for her, skipping to Radiant Garden. They detailed finding Aqua near dead from fighting the Unversed and Vanitas. She figured that's when she had dug to deep into her hurt heart.

After that though, they were at a loss of what had happened to Aqua. The next time they saw her was at a tournament in the Olympus Coliseum weeks later. She had just shown up in the stands, according to Terra she just arrived feeling vastly stronger than she had been before, armed with knowledge and the Xehanort Reports. They mentioned that the figured Aqua had performed the Inheritance Ceremony on Sora shortly before this. Afterwords, she gone after Ven after Vanitas kicked him through a portal. Then, Eraqus began speaking...

And...

She stared at him in shock.

"I drew my Keyblade on my apprentice," admitted Eraqus with regret, "And on Aqua when she arrived to defend him."

Her mind felt blank, she... she had always thought so well of Eraqus. "How... how... how could you do... do something like that?"

Eraqus bowed his head and sighed. "I was afraid, but, truthfully, I have no excuse for what I tried to do to Ventus, and what I did to Aqua. Even though she dominated the fight, the fact of what happened, it... hurt her, badly, destabilized her, I could visibly see it after Ventus stepped in to save my life. I think I ended up hurting her worse than Xehanort ever did. I wonder sometimes, if that battle is what pushed her fully over the edge, and led to her embracing her darker desires to make Xehanort suffer rather than just end it."

Kairi stared at him numbly. She just... she couldn't fathom the act, and what that had done to her Master. If Leon had turned on her one day and tried to kill her, how would she have reacted? Well, probably how she did when her Master's Heartless tried to rip out her heart, it just made her shut down...

Oh Master Aqua...

Terra picked up where Eraqus had left off, giving some detail to the final battle at the Keyblade Graveyard, though, Aqua had fought at a separate part of the battlefield until the end when she had helped to save Ven from Vanitas. Afterwords, they had thought everything was okay, until they had started feeling a strange darkness from her Master. Then she had gone off, and her charm glowed. Terra detailed finding a very confused Master Aqua battering 'The Door to Darkness'.

"I saw it, her eyes, turning yellow like Xehanort's. I showed her it through a reflect spell. She... flipped out and started speaking to herself, or rather, to Xehanort inside of her. We didn't know the full details until later, when Xehanort taunted us with them, that Aqua had tried to trap his heart in her own as a prison. Instead of being trapped, he had begun to be merge into her heart, if the process had completed, Aqua and Xehanort would have ceased to be, and someone new would have been born. Rather than allow that, rather than run the risk of letting him win... she... drew her Keyblade and stabbed herself," said Terra solemnly, "She ripped out Xehanort's heart, but also lost her own in the process. She... disappeared, fading into darkness..."

Kairi bowed her head. "Master Aqua..."

Terra sighed. "She... never meant for all of this to happen. She sacrificed herself to try and stop Xehanort. I don't think the thought of a heartless being born even passed her thoughts, but it happened. I went to Radiant Garden, tried to fight her heartless when I discovered it and it tried to steal my heart. I... lost badly. Aqua had already been a little bit stronger than me, but, after her heartless absorbed so many hearts, and flinging her lackeys at me, I just couldn't match her. It was all downhill from there."

Kairi absorbed their words quietly. She just... didn't know how to process all of this. To be frank... she mostly just felt numb. She was pretty sure that was going to fade and she was going to explode at some point. But, that was for later.

"Kairi, could you... tell us what happened, when you met Aqua's Heartless?" asked Terra.

Kairi shrugged. "I hugged her, she kind of mocked me for it. She tried to rip my heart out, I screamed, a lot, and that made her stop. Apparently, my screams made my Master's heart react, and the Heartless regained a little bit of my Master's memories..."

"It _WHAT_?" exclaimed Eraqus in surprise and horror.

Terra and Ven both looked a bit terrified, and both Sora and Riku confused. Mickey and Yen Sid exchanged glances, troubled.

"That thing is already powerful enough, but, it's kind of base. It's consumed by it's focus to consume hearts and fights with brute force," said Terra with actual fear, "If... if that thing gains Aqua's memories, her intelligence, her skills, the ability to think more in depth and plan... by the light... it'll be completely impossible to plan around, impossible to even think about stopping..."

Kairi scowled. "I'm more concerned by the effect that had on my Master herself in the Realm of Sleep."

Yen Sid stepped forward, both curious and confused. "What do you mean?"

Kairi crossed her arms and turned her head, huffing and saying stubbornly, "I don't know if I should tell you! You all kept things from me!"

Ven walked forward and knelt down in front of her. "Kairi... I know your mad, but please, could you... tell us everything you saw and heard in the Realm of Sleep? This is really important."

Kairi held out for a few more seconds before sighing and doing so. "Well, I'm not sure we were fully in the Realm of Sleep yet, more like the path, or the ocean, leading to it..."

Though, out of spite and bitterness, she didn't tell Terra what her Master had told her, of using 'the crying man', which she figured to be Terra, as her first way to keep herself afloat. She told them what her Master had said to her, what she had done for her...

But the moment she detailed her Master's fear, the 'being jerked upward' and the growing weaker, extreme fear and anxiety crossed their faces.

Yen Sid pulled at his beard solemnly. "The Heartless pulled strength and memories out of Aqua's heart itself when the heart reacted to Kairi's pain."

"But... isn't it already Aqua's heart?" asked Sora with confusion.

"It is made up of Aqua's darkness, yes," said Yen Sid, "But the entirety of her heart? No. Only the darkness of it, nothing else since she apparently wasn't born with her memories. I... have never heard of something like this happening before, to be honest, humanoid Heartless were things of dark legends. Normal Heartless themselves are however unfortunately natural, they are merely a state a heart is in after falling to darkness. But... if what I fear is happening is true, then Aqua's heart is in grave danger. If it can keep using Kairi to pull at Aqua's heart, the Heartless is going to slowly take everything from Aqua, and completely absorb her heart, rather than just use it as the core of it's being."

Kairi's eyes went wide with horror. "What?!"

Riku tensed. "What exactly would it mean, for a Heartless to absorb, to fully consume, the heart it's born from?"

Yen Sid shook his head. "I do not know. But, I fear that the end result would be what Terra fears. If the Heartless consumed Aqua entirely, gained her memories, intelligence, and her full arrange of abilities, then it will be unstoppable, far more than it already is."

Yen Sid turned to Kairi. "For that reason, you must never leave this place."

 _THAT_ caught Kairi off-guard. "W-what?!"

Ven stood and turned, looking conflicted. "Yen Sid... with all due respect... that's... that's cruel..."

"The risk is to great," said Yen Sid, "Would you risk the entirety of the Realm of Light over this?"

Ven hesitated. "W-well..."

Terra frowned and crossed his arms. "I don't like it either, but, until we come up with a plan, it might be for the best."

"Agreed," said Eraqus, "It will only be temporary, until we find a solution."

"Hey! That's not fair to her!" said Sora, growing angry, "She's our friend, she shouldn't be a prisoner here!"

Kairi stared at them in mute horror as the group started bickering. These people... had Master Aqua really considered them to be friends and family?

No, they weren't, not at all. They had all of them, except maybe Sora and Riku, hurt her Master, betrayed her, and/or not trusted in her. Kairi could _NOT_ stay here, could not stay with these _people_! Her Master's heart was in danger, she had to find a way to save her from her Heartless! No more games, no more missions, no more following their rules, she was leaving, and she was going to trust in her instincts and follow her heart!

Kairi acted instantly, springing up from the throne, summoning her Keyblade, and screaming, "LIGHT CHAINS!"

Chains of light burst from her Keyblade and wrapped around those gathered, surprising them. Kairi bolted, activated her armor, summoned her glider, and aimed a hand at the window high above the throne room. She released Shock, exploding the window outward. She flew through the opening, ignoring their cries for her to stop, and took off into the Lanes Between, her heart feeling bitter, hurt, and betrayed...

* * *

Sora watched helplessly as Kairi fled. "No... Kairi... please no..."

"Dammit Terra!" shouted Ven, struggling against his chains, "This... it's... it's happening again. She took off, just like Aqua did, for damn near the same reason! We're going to lose her!"

Terra gave a roar and shattered his chains. "No, were not!"

He summoned his glider and took off to the window, looking out. "Dammit."

He flew back down, turned his glider into a Keyblade, and severed the chains binding the rest of them. "Yen Sid, is there any way you can track her?"

Yen Sid frowned. "Perhaps, her light does shine brightly, but, even if we find her, I doubt she will return willingly."

"Then we'll drag her back kicking and screaming if we have to, it's for her own safety and...," began Terra.

"SHUT UP TERRA!" Sora roared at him.

The room fell into a shocked silence. Sora _NEVER_ raised his voice like that against them... they all stared at him in open shock.

"How... how could you all do that to her?" he whispered before raising his voice, "She _JUST_ recovered from nearly dying and falling into sleep. She _JUST_ learned the full truth about what happened to Aqua, and then you all... you all... you all drop _THAT_ on her? You want to force her to live here like a prisoner? What... what's wrong with all of you?!"

"Sora...," whispered Terra.

"Hey!" defended Ven, "Sora... I didn't want that..."

"I didn't even say anything," added in Riku.

Sora was to pissed and felt to betrayed to acknowledge it. "You all just drove her away, betrayed her. Now she's out there alone in danger. Aqua's Heartless is out there waiting for her."

He turned and walked away, making for the entrance to the keep. "If this is what it means to be a Keybearer, then I'm done. Even if I can't fight that Heartless, I'm going to find and help Kairi any way I can."

They all watched, quiet and stunned, as he walked out, summoned his Glider, and followed his heart towards Kairi and her pain...

* * *

Kairi flew aimlessly towards the nearest world sobbing into her helmet, just trying to find a place to hide and work out what had just happened. She saw, in the distance, a world of the Realm Between. A huge clock-tower rising off of it out of a town. She flew towards it and landed in the plaza before the clock-tower, ignoring the surprised looks she got from the people of the town.

"Who... is she? What is she doing here in Twilight Town?" whispered one of the people as she passed.

Twilight Town huh? She stretched out her senses. Odd... this world... felt kind of like the Land of Departure, completely balanced between darkness and light. Twilight indeed...

She shook her head, sniffling, and continued walking, only to pause when she heard something strange, a girl saying, "Should we get the Lady of the Mansion?"

"You _WANT_ to get that blue haired emotionless psycho woman out here?" retorted another voice.

"Hey! She is _NOT_ psycho!" countered the girl.

Kairi blinked a few times at that, her eyebrows furrowing. Blue-haired woman...? It couldn't be, her Master was consumed by darkness...

She felt her heart stir, and she turned towards the voice. She had said she was going to follow her heart, and she meant it. Her heart told her this was important... and maybe, why her heart had led her to this world.

"Where is this mansion?" she demanded.

The person, a boy, winced. "Uh..."

The girl next to him, a brown haired girl about Kairi's age dressed in an orange shirt and tan pants, smacked the back of his head. "Way to go Hayner."

"Sorry Olette," murmured Hayner.

Kairi walked up to Olette. "Where is this mansion?"

Olette crossed her arms. "Why do you want to know? Are you here to hurt the Lady of the Mansion?"

Kairi frowned. "No, but, I think... I feel... that I want to meet her. Does she have a name?"

Olette shrugged. "No clue, she doesn't remember. She just stays in her mansion and comes out if the Heartless or the Nobodies cause trouble."

Kairi blinked. "What the heck is a Nobody?"

Olette shrugged. "White monsters, it's what the Lady of the Mansion calls them anyway. Don't know much else about them."

Kairi contemplated it before asking one final time. "Alright, I'll have to ask her then, now please, where is this mansion?"

Olette searched her eyes for a moment before softening. "Alright. The mansion is through a hole in the Tram Common, then through the woods. Come on, I'll take you to see her if you promise your not here to cause trouble."

"I promise, and hey, I'm a girl like you, how could I possibly cause trouble?" she asked innocently.

Hayner snorted. "Really? Do you know who you're talking to?"

Olette shot him a look. "Shove it."

Olette grabbed Kairi's hand and started dragging her along. "Alright, let's go."

"H-hey!" exclaimed Kairi, unsure if she should pull herself free, or just let the girl keep dragging her along...


	18. Empty Shells

Kairi let Olette drag her down the street, into an even larger plaza, and, for some reason, into a shop. "Why are we here?"

"The Lady of the Mansion likes the tea I buy her," said Olette, "I mean, I think she does anyway. She gives a long winded explanation of how she doesn't remember what tea is like, but thinks the tea is most likely acceptable."

Kairi stared at the girl.

Olette laughed a little. "Yeah, she's like that, you get used to it. She totally likes it though."

"Okay...," said Kairi.

Olette bought a package and walked out, leading Kairi across the Tram Commons into a large hole into the wall. They came out into a woods, and started across...

_WARP_

They froze in surprise as white manlike monsters appeared and stretched down from above to land on the ground. It was an almost featureless muscular thing, not even real hands or feet. It had a large flat forehead with a strange symbol on it, a pointed cross with what almost looked like a broken upside down heart as the bottom. It's mouth was a strange zipper like thing... that was unzipping right before her, revealing some kind of black under-face as it looked straight at Kairi.

_The girl may pass, you may not._

Kairi's eyes went wide as the voice sounded in her head. "Uh..."

"Nobodies," whispered Olette apprehensively, "These ones are called Dusks."

These... things... were grating on her senses. They felt so weird, she could feel... feel... nothing? Not nothing in the sense that there was nothing there, but, almost like nothingness as an energy signal. It felt not right, as if it were missing something that gave it meaning and function. She didn't understand... it was like...

Her eyes went wide. Like they had no hearts... what the hell?

"Olette, go," she whispered, "I'll handle this."

Olette hesitated before taking off, running past the Dusks. The moment she was gone, Kairi summoned her Keyblade.

"I fight hundreds of Heartless daily, if you sorry lot think your a match for me, you're sadly mistaken," she said, a grin spreading across her face.

_Begone._

"Fat chance, Sonic Blade!" she roared, starting off the fight by zooming across the battlefield.

She noted right away, that these 'Nobodies' were stronger than the regular Heartless she fought. They were tough, they certainty did not die to a single hit. They were also _weird_ to fight, especially when they started walking in the air upside down and compacting into balls when blocked. Still, they were nothing she couldn't handle, tearing through them quickly. She nodded, satisfied, before starting to head to the mansion.

"I think that's far enough," came a silky smooth, but empty voice.

_WARP_

Out of a dark portal that formed in front of her, a man in a black cloak appeared infront of her, in his hands, a huge pink scythe appeared, and he aimed it at Kairi. "You are to leave, now."

Kairi tensed. Her senses were screaming _DANGER_ at her. This guy... he felt a bit like the Dusks, he was a Nobody as well, but a humanoid one. He also felt leagues more powerful than the Dusks she had just destroyed. She was not sure she could take him in a fight... but...

"Why?" she demanded.

The man rested his scythe on his shoulder. "Today's mission is for me to keep an eye on our 'honored guest' of Twilight Town, and you are on the short-list of people not allowed near her and her mansion."

Kairi stared hard at him. "I don't even _KNOW_ you people!"

The man rested a hand mockingly over his heart. "How kind, oh Princess of Heart, for you to call us people."

Kairi narrowed her eyes.

"But, dear Princess, we know of you, we know everything about you and your friends...," he began.

"They are _NOT_ my friends!" she shouted angrily at him.

The man paused and studied her. "No? Interesting..."

Slowly, he offered a hand. "Then perhaps you'd like to be a friend of the Organization?"

"No thanks," she shot back, "Now get out of my way."

"Pity," said the man.

He burst at her, slashing his scythe for her neck. She parried aside the slash and dove away from him, rising from her feet and turning, clasping her hands together over her Keyblade, glowing furiously with light.

"Shock!" she roared, thrusting the hilt of the Keyblade at the man.

Light exploded around the man, sending him staggering back before he recovered and twirled his scythe. "Not bad Princess, let's return the favor."

He swung his scythe at her, releasing a dark pink wave of energy that slammed into and floored her to the ground. OWWW! Jeez, her senses were right, this guy...

She rose to her feet and glared at him. "Alright, you asked for it!"

"Did I? I wasn't aware I made a request," mocked the man.

She glared at the man, and was about to reply, before he vanished and reappeared next to her, grabbing her shoulder and whispering into her ear. A horrific chill ran down her spine as she heard nothing, but her heart reacted by pulsing painfully in her chest. Dark pink energy wrapped around her, and the symbol on the head of the Dusks appeared in front of her before vanishing.

Something was wrong...

"The assassin's count, let's see how long you last," mocked the man before shoving her forward and slashing the back of her armor.

The moment he did, the dark pink energy pulsated around her, and the number fourty-nine appeared over her head, counting down a number with the hit, and then vanishing. Immediately she felt a dread start to rise. She had a feeling letting that number hit zero was a bad idea...

The man was like a whirlwind, spinning his scythe in large sweeping arcs at insane speeds, rose petals falling through the air in his wake. It was all she could do to fall back and try not to get hit. She had never fought someone this strong before, the clowns and none of the stronger Heartless Xehanort sent after her compared to this guy. She parried up a swing and rushed in, slicing her Keyblade at him, only for him to sidestep and spin, smashing the flat of his scythe into her back and sending her sprawling to the ground, another number ticking down.

"Kairi!" came a boy's shout.

She turned her head, sighting Sora arrive, leaping off his glider, banishing his armor, landing, and letting into the cloaked man with an Ars Arcanium, driving him back and away from her.

The man laughed, teleported a short distance away, and mocked, "They're not your friends? Are you so sure about that Kairi?"

Kairi rose to her feet and shot Sora a hostile look. "Get the hell out of here! I want nothing to do with you people!"

Sora looked hurt for a moment before shaking his head. "Kairi, I left, I'm not going back, I want to help you."

"Right, by lying to me some more?" she spat.

"Kairi...," he whispered quietly and with pain, "I'm sorry... it wasn't my choice..."

"Like hell it wasn't, you could have told me anyway and...," she began.

A dark pink wave of energy slammed into them, flooring them both to the ground. "Argue on your own time. You are both not allowed past this point. Begone, or be destroyed."

The man sank into the ground and charged at them, his scythe turning into a sharp spinning wheel as he rushed at them. Kairi gave a yelp, not wanting to lose a leg, and dove out of the way, Sora doing the same. The man dove out of the ground and rose into the air, the area turning dark, a storm of petals flying the air. A horrific chill ran down her spine as she felt some _serious_ power emanate from the man, this wasn't going to end well...

"That's enough Marluxia," came a empty woman's voice.

They froze, they all did, Marluxia's petal storm fading. That voice... impossible...

Kairi turned and saw her... saw Master Aqua with Olette at her side... or... wait... no something was off...

Short blue hair like in her memory. But her eyes were cold, emotionless, and empty, like the rest of her face. Underneath her eyes were blue tear shaped symbols that extended down onto her cheeks and turned into a half-broken heart. Like the symbols on her cheeks, she had a matching gray earring, one half of a broken heart on each. She bore a similar set of clothes as the Master Aqua in her memory, but white and gray, and full body instead, showing no skin below her neck. The pink straps across her chest were white, and had the symbol the Dusks had instead of the Mark of the Keyblade Masters. She lacked the twin pairs of blue cloth that were originally hanging from her hips, instead, the back of her top continued into an gray almost cape like thing, extending down to the back of her ankles.

Kairi was on edge. She didn't... she didn't understand. She wasn't going to make a fool out of herself again by rushing towards her 'Master' like she had with the Heartless. This... 'Aqua' felt like the man, a creature of nothingness... what was going on?

"Master... Aqua?" she questioned.

'Aqua' paused at that name and repeated it. "Aqua."

"Shit...," whispered the man, Marluxia, tensing visibly.

'Aqua' turned to gaze at Kairi emptily, but not without thought. "You called me... 'Aqua'?"

"I... did," answered Kairi, "It's your name..."

'Aqua' contemplated it for a moment. "It stirs faded memories... as does your face... as does the boy's face..."

"You know them?" asked Olette with curiosity.

'Aqua' slowly shook her head. "If I did, I don't remember, but..."

'Aqua' turned to Marlixua and spoke coldly, "I warned the Organization that I will not tolerate them attacking civilians in my presence. You will leave. Otherwise..."

Kairi's eyes went wide with shock as gray energy, nothingness itself, wrapped around 'Aqua's' body. She felt an _IMMENSE_ amount of power emanate from 'Aqua', nothing close to the Heartless version of her, but something that was _NOT_ to be trifled with.

Marlixia's was gone instantly, vanishing in a puff of darkness, nothingness, and rose petals. The moment he was gone, dark pink energy bled out of Kairi, and the countdown reappeared over her head, only to disintegrate, relieving Kairi greatly.

"Holy crap," whispered Sora, "I think she could deck Terra..."

'Aqua' banished her energy and turned towards them. "You will come with me. As a price for saving your lives from Marluxia, you will answer my questions."

Kairi huffed a bit. "I could have taken him."

'Aqua' simply stared at her emptily. "Not unless you are hiding far more power than I can detect within yourself. If not, then even together, you and the boy would have been hard pressed to survive him. Now come, I will not ask again."

'Aqua' turned and strode through the woods. Kairi and Sora hesitated before following suite.

"I don't get it," mumbled Sora, "She's not the Heartless..."

"Obviously," said Kairi.

"She's Aqua, but she feels like...," Sora began before his eyes went wide, "Wait, that symbol... that's the Nobody symbol! She's one of them! Oh wow, we never... we never even thought of that... that she would leave one behind..."

"What _IS_ a Nobody?" demanded Kairi, "You all really need to stop hiding things from me."

Sora hesitated. "We don't encounter them often, they mostly keep to themselves, we hadn't even seen a humanoid one before, but, a Nobody is..."

"An empty husk without a heart, unable to feel emotion," called back 'Aqua', "The body that is left behind, warped and reborn when the heart of a strong willed person leaves the body and a Heartless is born."

'Aqua' paused to turn and look at them. "The Organization has tempted me with such information. I know full well what I am, that I am a Nobody."

Olette scowled and stamped her foot down. "Hey! What have I told you? Stop talking like that, you're a person!"

Aqua's Nobody gave her a look, almost of pity, before she turned back to walking through the woods. Kairi followed silently, Sora behind her.

A Nobody... a being without a heart, unable to feel, the body left behind...

Oh Master Aqua... was this really her fate? Such an awful and empty existence?

Yet...

What about the Master Aqua she had seen in sleep? How could there be two? Or well... technically three if the darkness of her Master given the form of a Heartless counted. This... was really confusing and over her head...

They followed her out of the woods, through a gate, and into a large mansion. She led them into a side room with a table and sat down, motioning for Kairi and Sora to do the same.

"Olette, tea if you would," said Aqua's Nobody.

There was uncomfortable silence, as the Nobody regarded the two Apprentice Keybearers and waited. A few minutes later, Olette set cups of tea before them and sat down next to the Nobody.

"You said my name was... Aqua?" asked the Nobody.

"Yes, you're Master Aqua," offered Kairi a bit meekly.

The Nobody blinked a few times, contemplating it, before speaking, "Aqua is... an acceptable name I suppose. You may call me that if you wish, but, I am no Master of anything."

Kairi huffed a bit and summoned her Keyblade, setting it on the table. "Yes you are, you're a Keyblade Master!"

The Nobody stared at Oathkeeper. "A Keyblade... it stirs more memories..."

"Like what?" asked Kairi.

"Brief flashes, nothing concrete," said the Nobody.

Kairi felt a bit annoyed by the Nobody's evasiveness...

No... Kairi struggled with the thought. Did she call her a Nobody? Or call her Aqua? She bit her lip, not knowing what to think.

'Aqua' held out a hand in a familiar notion, as if to summon a Keyblade, but nothing happened. "It would appear, if that is what I once was, I am no longer. Master is unnecessary and inaccurate, Aqua will do."

Well... might as well.

"Okay...M... M... Aqua," said Kairi.

Wow... it was kind of hard to say her name without tacking Master onto it. She had been doing that since she was four years old after all, even in her own thoughts.

Aqua stared at her and Sora before asking, "I've been here for ten years and have never seen you two before. Who are you two, and how exactly do you know me? You would have had to have been..."

"Children," answered Kairi, "You saved my life from monsters called Unversed when I was four years old, and performed the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony on me, turning me into a future Keybearer."

"Same with me, though, without the life saving part," added in Sora.

Olette grinned and lightly punched Aqua's shoulder. "See! Always knew you had to be a good person before you lost your memories."

Aqua sipped her tea without responding, contemplating what they had told her.

She set the cup down. "A strong man, brown hair, a quick boy, blonde hair. Who are they? I have... many fragments of memories of them."

"Terra and Ven," said Sora.

"Terra... Ven...," she mumbled, tasting the words.

"Hmm," she murmured, rubbing her chin, "The names... fit I suppose."

She frowned. "Bald, yellow eyes, foul presence."

"Xehanort," said Sora a bit coldly.

Aqua nodded slowly. "Also fits."

She tilted her head back staring at the ceiling. "Hmm."

She lowered her gaze. "I want to know everything you know about me."

Kairi and Sora spent the next few hours detailing what they knew and remembered. Having just had the retelling told to Kairi, it was rather fresh in their minds. Aqua listened silently, sipping tea every now and then. The lack of reaction to their words... it... disturbed Kairi. All the ways the woman should be reacting to their words... there was just nothing. Empty, apathetic, disregard. It really messed with Kairi...

Though, Olette's face was an open book. It had been a bit much for Kairi to learn all of this, the poor civilian girl looked borderline ready to cry by the end of it. Kairi was moderately surprised she hadn't. Kairi briefly turned her senses and focus to the girl. She had a fairly strong heart, from what Kairi could tell, and the way the girl looked at Aqua with such care... it almost made her feel a bit jealous, but... she was glad, that the remnant of her Master had someone to look after and care for her when Kairi couldn't.

When they finished, Aqua was silent, thinking over their words. "Hmm."

Kairi watched as Olette rose to her feet, walked over, and gave Aqua a big hug. She smiled softly at the sight, before she felt something abnormal. There was... the faintest and weakest of smiles on Aqua's face at the gesture, and Kairi swore she actually felt something from the Nobody, but then, both the smile and the feeling was gone. Kairi was left baffled and confused. She... really didn't understand Nobodies.

"What about you?" asked Sora, "I mean... how'd you get here?"

"I woke up here," answered Aqua, "One moment I didn't exist, the next I did. A man in a black cloak, the first Organization member I met, appeared moments later and attempted to recruit me. I refused and went into this mansion to seek shelter from a storm."

Kairi frowned. "What exactly is this 'Organization'?"

Aqua shook her head. "All I know is that they are a collective group of countless Nobodies attempting to find a way to gain their hearts back. Most are lesser Nobodies, but, I've been approached by plenty of black cloaks, or rather, humanoid ones, over the years, each trying their hand at recruiting me."

Well... trying to get their hearts back didn't sound so bad.

"Why didn't you go with them?" asked Sora.

"The first Organization member I met. While I could not feel what I saw, his voice stirred fragmented memories of rage, hate, and distrust," answered Aqua, "An Organization involved with him I decided was not wise to join."

"What did you do then?" Kairi asked.

"I stayed here," answered Aqua.

"And...?" asked Kairi.

"And nothing. I stayed here, in this mansion for several years," answered Aqua.

Kairi stared at her, baffled. "Why?"

"Why not?" was Aqua's reply.

"I had no reason to leave or go anywhere, until Olette broke down the door that is," said Aqua.

"Did not!" squeaked Olette.

"The door went off it's hinges," said Aqua matter of factually.

"It was already falling apart," huffed Olette.

The girl turned to Kairi. "Anyway, me and my friends were investigating the wonders of Twilight Town years ago, and the Lady of the Mansion sometimes seen in the windows was one of them. Hayner and Pence, the cowards, didn't risk coming into the mansion, but I did. I uh... like she said... might have finished off a broken door when I did."

"Might have?" said Aqua, an almost teasing tone in her voice.

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed. There it was again, a brief sensation flashing through the nothingness she felt from the Nobody. Bizarre...

She glanced over, noting Sora also giving Aqua a curious look. So he noticed it too.

"And well, after that, I met her, and then I kept bugging her nonstop," said Olette with a huge grin, "Getting my friend here out of the mansion for the first time was a _colossal_ effort."

Aqua rolled her eyes and turned from Olette to them. "I believe, in this exchange of questions, it is now my turn."

"Umm, sure," answered Kairi.

Aqua pointed up at the ceiling. "Do you know what the presence of darkness in the sky is?"

Now... Kairi felt a bit awkward, they hadn't exactly covered what happened after Aqua had stabbed herself with her Keyblade. For the briefest of moments, she contemplated sparing her the knowledge...

Screw that though.

That would make her a hypocrite, and just like the Keyblade Masters.

"It's your Heartless," admitted Kairi.

Aqua blinked once. "Interesting."

Kairi frowned intently. "Interesting?!"

Aqua stared at her. "It was a piece of information that I had not considered before. An unexpected result, thus, interesting."

"You... you don't care that it's _YOUR_ Heartless?" she asked in disbelief.

Aqua reached for her cup of tea. "I'm a Nobody, lacking heart, and one needs a heart to care."

Kairi... didn't have a response to that. They had just told her her missing life's story, filled in some of her memory blanks. Yet, outside of those brief moments with Olette, she had merely watched the Nobody of her Master sip tea nonchalantly, not apparently giving a damn about anything they had told her. Was... she supposed to be angry, or sad? The Heartless of her Master was one thing, this was another...

One was a monster, one was an apathetic creature. In fact... she had the saddest of hunches about something...

"Would you be willing to help us stop your Heartless?" she asked softly.

Aqua blinked once. "No."

"What? Why not!" exclaimed Sora.

"I may not have a heart, but that does not make me suicidal," answered Aqua, "That thing, my Heartless as you say, feels powerful enough to kill me with a flick of it's wrist."

Kairi closed her eyes, her fists clenching, she took a deep breath, let it out and stood up, staring coldly at the Nobody. "You know, you're right, you are a Nobody, because, the Aqua I knew, the real one, she was no coward."

Aqua's Nobody didn't seem phased. "Again, one needs a heart to be a coward, or to show courage. I simply acknowledge a fact. That you would try to pit yourself against such a power is illogical, for what reason would you do so?"

Kairi... just... hurt at that question. "That you forgot why you fought..."

She turned and made for the door. "It's for those your care for, your friends, your loved ones, those you want to protect. And me? I fight especially for you Aqua, or, the real you anyway, not a fake like _you_. Aqua's heart is in that thing, and I'm not stopping until it's free and she's given a proper rest."

"Logically, what happens then, if I leave with you?" countered Aqua's Nobody.

Kairi's hand paused on the doorknob. "What?"

Aqua's Nobody turned her head to glance at a conflicted looking Olette, and then waved an encompassing hand. "I watch over Twilight Town. If I leave, who will safeguard it? The people here have no defenses, no weapons, no magic. A single Shadow could take the heart of every single person here. Logically, leaving this place undefended is a foolish course of action that would result in needless deaths of Olette and the people here, and thus, the creation of more Heartless and potentially Nobodies. Insult me if you so wish, I cannot feel pain at your words, but do not question my logic and the decisions based off of them."

Kairi stared at the Nobody, frustrated. "Yeah, well they'll die anyway if Aqua's Heartless isn't stopped and comes here."

With that, she stormed from the room and left the mansion. She walked past the gate and then turned to lean against the stone wall, sliding down to sit on the ground, breathing raggedly. To have actually... sat down and talked with her... the... the fake version of her Master... it hurt so much to realize it wasn't who she had longed for all this time. It hurt so much...

"You okay Kairi?" came Sora's voice.

She turned her head and glared at him. "Why are you still here?"

Sora shrugged. "Because you are. I'm not leaving, I'm sticking with you no matter what."

"Why?" she demanded.

"Well... I made Aqua a promise, and, you're my friend, friends don't abandon or turn on one another," said Sora, moving to sit down next to her.

Kairi stared at him for a moment before softening and sighing. "I miss her Sora, I hardly knew her, but I miss Master Aqua so much. That small time we spent together, when I was just a child... it meant so much to me. Seeing her Nobody, as an actual talking being, it brought back all those years I spent waiting for her to come for me, for her to fulfill her promise."

She laughed bitterly. "Thought I had gotten over that after this last month..."

"Kairi... you don't ever really get over it, especially not that quickly," Sora said softly and sadly, "You learn to deal with the pain, but, it still lingers. Even all these years, I can still faintly remember my mom, and how she died protecting me."

Kairi looked at him, startled. "Y-your mom?"

Sora nodded sadly. "Xehanort came for us not to long after Aqua had left us. We were just kids, but, he tried to turn us into Heartless. He... killed and converted everyone on the islands, every man, woman, and child, and then destroyed our world. Only me and Riku got out thanks to Ven and Terra."

Kairi felt a lump in her throat, she... hadn't even thought about what Sora and Riku might have gone through, something so familiar to her own life. "I'm... sorry..."

Sora shrugged. "It's okay."

He crossed his arms in thought. "Aqua's Nobody huh. Well, it could be worse, at least she's not out there trying to devour worlds like the Heartless."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Small favors."

"Though... I'm not sure how different she actually is from the real Aqua. You saw it, right, the way she'd just... I don't know, showed something with Olette?" asked Sora.

Kairi shrugged. "What of it?"

"I think... she cares for the girl, you noticed how she mentioned Olette's name first when talking about defending the people here?" asked Sora.

Kairi considered it. "Hmm. I thought... I felt something, but, it might just be a remnant of what was lost."

"Or the birth of something new," said Sora softly.

"Aren't you the dreamer?" she teased.

Sora grinned. "Maybe just a bit. The idea of a heart growing out of nothing is a bit silly I guess."

He grew contemplative. "So, Aqua's body still exists, and her heart's out there wrapped in darkness..."

Kairi leaned her head back, she was so hesitant to latch onto the idea, to that kind of hope. All she had wanted up to this point, after learning the truth about Aqua, was to put her to rest, give her freedom and a peaceful afterlife, not the tormented existence of a Heartless.

But...

"Sora... if we brought her Heartless and Nobody to the same place... what do you think would happen? Would they react to one another? Maybe... maybe merge and become... become whole? Become the real Aqua again?" she asked.

Sora leaned his head back. "I... don't know. I mean... put the body and the heart together again, and maybe..."

"What you suggest child, would not end the way you think," came an emotionless voice.

Kairi and Sora bolted to their feet as a Dark Corridor appeared and a man in a black coat stepped out. The presence wasn't the same as Marluxia's, it was much weaker, though, still kind of impressive. Both of them summoned their Keyblades and waited. The man summoned a blue shield and held it out defensively, but did not take any other action.

"I'm not here to fight, but to make a proposal," said the man.

"Who are you?" demanded Sora.

The man reached up and pulled back his head, revealing long blonde hair and green eyes on an inquisitive face. "I, young Keybearers, am Vexen. Number four of the Core Organization."

Kairi blinked a few times. "Core...?"

The man gave her an empty smile. "Many have fallen into darkness since the Heartless of your Master began extinguishing the light. As such, many bodies have also fallen into nothingness. We used to be one Organization of humanoid Nobodies, but have sense splintered to several branches."

So... there were a lot of these humanoid Nobodies... was... that a good thing or a bad thing?

"Okay, so what do you want?" she demanded.

Vexen gave her a patient look. "The same thing you want, to a degree. We do not care about Aqua's fate afterwords, were not honestly capable of it, but her Heartless is a problem. It is the single-most powerful entity that has existed since the Keyblade War to our knowledge. Until it is dealt with, nothing else matters, no plans or desires matter before it's power. It is akin to a force of nature, unstoppable, and having given it some thought, what you are suggesting would probably make her fully invincible."

"Why?" asked Kairi with confusion.

"Because your ignoring the obvious problem with your plan. Return a untainted heart to the correct body, and perhaps it could restore the original person. However... if it is even possible, return a corrupt heart, drowned in the darkness of a Heartless, to the body, and what might happen?" inquired Vexen.

Kairi hesitated. "I... don't know..."

Vexen slowly shook his head. "There are three possibilities, well, four if you count the first being that it might be impossible, that the body might reject such a blackened heart. The second is that maybe you are right, maybe the original person would still be reborn, whether their completely darkened heart would affect them or not, I do not know. The third would be that the Heartless would be greatly empowered, gaining control of the original body. The fourth would be the possibility that something new would be born instead of the original person, the merge between a Heartless and a Nobody however would be nothing short of an abomination if it's even possible. I'd personally not want to find out."

Kairi felt uneasy at his words. "Oh..."

_CAW CAW!_

Kairi glanced to her left, sighting a black raven take off of a nearby tree-branch. She frowned, feeling, oddly enough, darkness from the raven. Strange...

She shook her head and returned to Vexen as he continued, "But, to return to my main point. We both want the same thing. The destruction of Aqua's Heartless, but it has long since reached far past the point where conventional means, mortals, or even deities can hope to match it. It has consumed millions of hearts, and perhaps hundreds of thousands of world hearts. At this point, there are only two powers that could possibly best it. Both however are out of the Organization's reach at this point, otherwise we'd have done it ourselves."

Kairi latched onto his words. "What are the two powers?"

"The true X-Blade, or Kingdom Hearts itself," answered Vexen.

Kairi blinked a few times before frowning. "You... know an awful lot."

Vexen gave her a crooked smile. "Perhaps."

"So, why exactly are you telling me this?" she asked.

"You, are a Princess of Heart, but not a normal one," he explained, "You are actually a rather interesting topic discussed back in the Science Division of the Organization."

Kairi didn't know if that was a good thing or not. "Okay, so?"

"You can venture out into danger and darkness without being defenseless, and as a Princess of Heart, you may be able to do what we cannot," explained Vexen.

He banished his shield and crossed his arms. "The X-Blade cannot be forged at the moment, while seven lights may exist, there are not thirteen powerful darkness in existence to clash with them, as Nobodies without hearts cannot fill that void. All other darknesses we know of have been consumed by the Heartless. This leaves only one option. If you want to destroy that Heartless, seek out the greatest of lights, the Heart of All Worlds. At this point, nothing else can stop Aqua's Heartless."

He frowned. "And with it's sudden strange new behavior, we feel that time may be running out, otherwise we most likely would not have approached you after Marluxia reported you here. Though, while you're here, I am curious, how exactly did you survive your encounter with Aqua's Heartless? We know you dove into Alexandria and met it, but nothing else."

Kairi considered telling him, but, she didn't trust him, and considering what the Keyblade Masters had wanted to do when they learned she could awaken Aqua's memories for the Heartless, she didn't want that knowledge spreading, so, she lied, "It uh... couldn't consume a heart of pure light, so it kind of spat me back out and threw me away."

Vexen blinked a few times, puzzled. "Hmm. Is that so? Rather curious."

Sora caught on and helped distract him, "So uh... any clue where Kingdom Hearts is?"

Vexen merely smiled, a Dark Corridor forming behind him. "In utter darkness, a place we cannot approach with the intensity and instability of the darkness of the realms growing. It would tear us apart, but, a Princess of Heart like Kairi? Perhaps not..."

He stepped into the Dark Corridor and vanished.

"Okay, that wasn't very helpful," said Kairi with annoyance.

Sora frowned, tilting his head in thought. "So... where should we start looking, if we even want to try what he suggested."

Kairi shrugged and summoned her glider. "Hell if I know. Let's pick a world and go."

Sora nodded and summoned his, with that, they left Twilight Town...

* * *

Vexen came out in a room with thirteen rising white thrones. Each throne, save for his own and the unclaimed thirteenth throne left barren by their Superior's order, was occupied, and their cloaked occupants staring down at him.

From above, the highest throne, came the voice of their Superior, his old, empty voice croaking out, "Has the message been sent?"

Vexen nodded, glancing up at the cloaked figure. "Yes."

The Superior nodded and leaned back in his throne. "Then now, there is nothing to do but wait."

One of the others threw a pair of dice to the floor below. "The die have been cast. Let us see how chance and fate look upon the young Keybearer."

Vexen teleported to his throne and glanced up at the Superior. "I still believe relying on a young, unproven Keybearer, even if she is an unusual Princess of Heart, is risky and unwise..."

The Superior glanced down at him. "Do you have a better idea?"

Vexen's eyes flickered to the thirteenth throne. "Perhaps. Something she said has given me an idea... more of a backup plan if you will, based off the Replica Project I'm working on at the moment."

"Oh boy, I swear I can see the light-bulb behind his eyes," called one of the others.

Vexen rolled his eyes. "She mentioned wanting to put Aqua's heart back in it's body. The problem with that is, of course, the state of her darkness consumed heart. That thought however led to another: what if we put a heart into a body, or rather..."

He smirked at the Superior. "What if we put a heart of someone into a Replica of them controlled by us?"

Vexen could faintly see a smile spreading across the Superior's hidden face. "Tell me more about this 'Replica Project' of yours..."

* * *

_CAW CAW_

A horned witch sitting on a throne paused re-reading the book she was flipped through, her eyes flickering to the raven passing through the window of her hidden castle, wrapped in darkness in a half consumed world. "Hmm..."

"Oh! Maleficent! Diablo's back!" came an ever annoying voice.

Maleficent turned her eyes to glare at her fat annoying lackey. "Pete, I am not blind nor deaf, you imbecile."

She sighed to herself when Pete cringed, muttered to himself, and walked away. 'Good help' was so hard to find these days. She longed for the days when she had the Heartless, or even her pig minions before she had turned them all into Heartless. The creatures did not obey her with the dark powers of Xehanort and Aqua's Heartlesses commanding them. It was an annoyance, to be certain.

_CAW CAW_

Maleficent extended her arm, and the raven flew down and landed on her arm, hopping up her arm and to her shoulder, leaning to whisper into her ear. She raised an eyebrow and contemplated his words, leaning back in her throne.

"An interesting concept, to merge the empty body, a Nobody, and a darkness corrupted heart, a Heartless together," she mused, contemplating the concept, "If possible, he says it would be an abomination... I say it would be a glorious new being, beyond Nobody, beyond Heartless, something... ascended, a power to rule all worlds. An idea worth exploring..."

She closed the book she was on, and rose to her feet, walking out of the room, her staff thudding against the floor. She delved deeper into her castle, into a secret room where she kept the most potent of her books and knowledge. It had been a long time since she had last ventured down here and delved into the mysteries of the books she and Aqua had stolen from Xehanort all those years ago. There was one in particular Maleficent desired at the moment.

She reached a hand towards the shelf, for Xehanort's musings about darkness, and flipped it open, going to the section about hearts. She eyes bore into the page, contemplating what Diablo had overheard on her behalf, and what she read. Slowly, a smile began to creep across her face...

"Perhaps it would be possible," she mused, "But, it would take a great deal of trial and error to derive the correct means to do so..."

"Oh Maleficent!" came Pete's grating voice.

Maleficent scowled before pausing, a grin spreading across her face. "And I know the first test subject to begin experimenting on..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I suppose I should acknowledge the risk I'm taking with the concept of Heartless/Nobody merge (I imagine it's been done before in a Fanfiction). The thought of it hit me when I was thinking up future dangers back when I was coming up with ideas for Book 3/Book 4 (yeah, this series is going to go on for awhile). I was hesitant though on the reaction to it. I imagine some people might like it, some might be turned off by it.
> 
> To better explain: What Maleficent/Vexen speak of has no actual cannon basis, we don't know what would happen if a Heartless/Nobody were merged, if it's even possible, it's not actually been done or even mentioned in cannon to my knowledge. (This is different then a cleansed heart freed by a Keyblade returning to it's body after the Nobody was destroyed, its the merger between a living Heartless/Nobody).
> 
> Up to this point, I haven't strayed too far from Cannon lore using the basis of Aqua being chosen instead of Terra as his vessel in BBS. The made-up history of the Keyblade War, Xehanort's house of books, Kairi being a different 'type' of Princess of Heart, and some of the world/character choices, being the only bigger differences I can think of off the top of my head, and none of those are that extreme of a difference as this would be.
> 
> I am open to feedback though:
> 
> If ya'll like the idea, things stay as is and eventually, maybe book 3 or 4, we'll see Maleficent's experimentation bear horrific fruit.
> 
> If ya'll don't the idea, all I have to do is remove one of Vexen's lines, and delete Maleficent's section out of this chapter, and it'll be like it never happened. Though, I'll have to figure some other way for Maleficent to be actually relevant. You don't give her access to Xehanort's books and then not use her.


	19. Dark Reunions

Kairi flew through the lanes between with Sora right behind her. Searching for Kingdom Hearts huh? Where in the world were they supposed to even start looking? Well... the nearest world outside the Realm Between would probably be the best place to start. If she recalled, Land of the Dragons was it. The clue about Kingdom Hearts being in utter darkness... well... the palace was wrapped in a shield protecting it from the darkness trying to eat it. Did that count? Mmm... probably not, but, they could at least ask the Emperor and Empress if they knew anything. Not that Shaun Yu would be accommodating.

They arrived about an hour later and descended into the world, landing on at the steps to the palace.

_ROAR_

Kairi's eyes flickered to the Heartless dragon still flying around the shield, trying to get into the world. No matter how many times she came here during the past month... er... the month before she fell into a sleep coma anyway, that thing was always there...

And...

Er...

Instead of attacking the barrier, it instead landed on the barrier and stared straight at her, smiling a wicked toothy smile at her.

"Uh... what's with that?" she said uneasily.

Sora turned his head and frowned at the dragon. "I don't know... I've never seen it do that before..."

Kairi was about to reply when the awful overwhelming sensation of her Master's Heartless rippled through the air. A Dark Corridor appeared before them, and out of it stepped Aqua's Heartless.

"Ah c-crap, guess that's why," said Sora, taking a fearful step back.

Kairi tensed and summoned her Keyblade.

"Tsk, you draw your weapon on me when I'm merely here to welcome you back to the waking world," mocked the Heartless, "I'm glad my friend up there spotted you, I was worried, you had been gone for weeks, I had wondered if I had... overdid it," said the Heartless, smiling a wicked smile at her.

Kairi's Keyblade shook with a mixture of rage and terror. "You... you... you tortured me into sleep... nearly destroyed my heart, you... your a monster!"

Aqua's Heartless put a hand over her Heartless symbol. "Your words hurt me, here I was hoping for a hug again."

Kairi's face burned with embarrassment. "T-that mistake wont happen again."

Aqua's Heartless merely chuckled before glancing up at the Heartless dragon outside the barrier. "Hmm, you know, I think my friend wants to play. Would you indulge him?"

Indulge? What was she...

Aqua's Heartless aimed a hand up, an immense aura of black energy swirling around it. She fired the blast into the barrier from the inside and punched a hole clean through. Kairi gave a strangled cry to see the barrier collapse, and the Pureblood Heartless swarming outside pour in. The screams started instantly as the Heartless began attacking the defenders on the outer walls.

The dragon overhead roared and flew down, landing next to Aqua's Heartless, who reached a hand up to pet it's head lovingly. "Have fun my friend, you may consume the boy, the girl is to remain intact, but not unharmed."

With that, Aqua's Heartless turned and strode into the palace. The Heartless dragon, the fallen Musha, roared with power, a shockwave emitting from it's mouth that knocked Kairi and Sora back. It charged forward, a claw ripping for Kairi's face. She raised her Keyblade to block, but was sent flying at the impact and landed on her back, cringing.

"Ragnarok!" cried out Sora, aiming his Keyblade and unleashed a circle of red bolts that barreled into the dragon, sending it staggering.

Kairi took the chance she had been given, rose to her feet, and used Sonic Blade, dashing and slicing across the dragons side, making it roar and sweep it's tail at her. She jumped over the attack and swung her Keyblade into it's side. She caught sight of Sora on the other side of the dragon, tearing into it with Keystrokes. Both of them were knocked back when the dragon flapped it's wings and took off into the air.

It began to circle, black smoke starting to rise out of it's mouth.

"Uh... DODGE!" cried out Sora.

The dragon released a stream of black and purple fire at them, making them dive for cover.

Kairi rose to her feet and aimed her Keyblade at it, ready to release a Shock attack, when something slashed into the back of her armor. She staggered and turned, sighting a Neoshadow rushing at her. She swore and swept her Keyblade, slicing it in half, only to sight more and more lesser Heartless rushing into the fray.

"Kairi! Hit the dragon! I'll take the regular Heartless!" said Sora, rushing at the oncoming tide.

"Okay!" she yelled, looking up to see the dragon coming around for another pass.

Light shinned around her, and she thrust the handle of her Keyblade out. "Shock!"

Light erupted out of her Keyblade and slammed into the dragon, making it roar in pain and spiral through the air and crash into the ground, landing on it's back. Kairi rushed forward, an aura of intense light surrounding her. She hadn't managed to successfully do this before, but now would be a _GREAT_ time for this technique to work!

"Stock Break!" she roared, leaping into the air and then coming down on the dragon, driving her Keyblade into it's side.

_BOOM!_

Light erupted out of the Heartless, blowing a huge hole in the left side of its body. It roared and spun, smashing it's head into Kairi and sending her flying back. She landed on her back and cringed before rolling and starting to rise to her feet...

Only to scream in agony as black and purple fire poured over her from the dragon's mouth.

"Mushu! Stop!" came a woman's cry.

To Kairi's surprise, the dragon _DID_ stop, giving her the chance to heal herself. It turned it's head, Kairi doing the same, to see Empress Mulan coming out of the palace. She was visibly afraid and trembling, but she had her sword drawn. How in the world was she still alive though? She thought Aqua's Heartless would have killed her...

The dragon roared, turned, and charged at Mulan. The Empress leaped gracefully over the attack, swinging her sword down to drag along the dragon's back as it slammed into the palace entrance. It got stuck, roaring and bucking, trying to get free. Kairi rushed to the Empresses side and they tore into it's backside, sword and Keyblade ripping puffs of black energy out with each attack. The dragon roared and finally burst free, breaking a bit of the palace off and flapping it's wings, starting to take off.

"Kairi!" yelled Mulan, rushing forward and holding out a hand.

Kairi ran to her and took her hand, and Mulan spung, swung Kairi overhead, and threw her onto the dragon's back as it flew into the air. Kairi ran along it's back wobbly, praying she wouldn't slip, or that the dragon wouldn't flip or something. She came to it's head, raised her Keyblade high into the air, pumping light into the weapon, and drove it down deep into it's skull. The dragon screamed as cracks of light began to rip along it's body. It plummeted and hit the ground, skidding along and throwing Kairi clean off, her Keyblade ripping out in the process.

She tumbled along the ground before coming to a rest, groaning. "Owww."

She shook her head and rose to her feet. The dragon was twitching, but not moving anymore. Sora was holding his own against a tide of Heartless, and Mulan was walking over to the dragon.

Mulan moved to it's head and sighed. "Mushu... I'm so sorry."

She turned and held out a hand to Kairi. "Your Keyblade please, he's... my friend, I should be the one..."

Kairi hesitated before walking over and giving her Oathkeeper. She felt the Keyblade want to return to her hand, but she willed it stay for the moment. Mulan raised the Keyblade, took a shuddered breath, and drove it down into the hole Kairi had made in it's skull. The dragon whimpered and went still, it's body disintegrating into darkness, and a heart flew out of it into the air. Mulan wordlessly handed Oathkeeper back to her, and started running to help Sora before pausing.

Kairi turned to see that the Heartless were all backing off. Kairi stared at the odd spectacle in confusion before one of the Neoshadows pointed at the palace.

"Seems were wanted inside," muttered Kairi.

Mulan nodded. "The Heartless Leader kind of threw me out of the throne room and told me to go make myself useful. She said she would be waiting for you."

"Kairi, we need to leave, _NOW_!" exclaimed Sora, "Let's just take Mulan and go!"

The Heartless hissed and made threatening gestures, more and more appearing and surrounding them. The trio tensed and raised there weapons.

"I don't think they'll let us escape without a fight," muttered Sora.

Again, one of the Neoshadows pointed at the palace. Kairi hesitated, uncertain. She weighed there chances, there were a LOT of Heartless surrounding them now, including Darkballs and some of the Water Core Heartless flying in the air. Even if they got airborne, they could be taken back down...

"Lets... go see what she wants," muttered Kairi through clenched teeth.

The Heartless made a path, and the trio slowly walked into the palace, and into the throne room. There, Aqua's Heartless had Shaun Yu held up by his throat. She turned and smiled at Kairi before turning her head back around and driving a hand into Shaun Yu's chest. She tore out his heart and clenched a fist over it, absorbing it into her body. Kairi brought up an arm to gag into, she might have disliked the man, but she wouldn't wish that fate on anyone...

Aqua's Heartless tossed the body aside as it faded into darkness and turned to them, a frown on her face. "Did you have 'fun' killing my friend?"

"You're the one who sent it at us!" yelled Kairi.

"And don't you _DARE_ call Mushu your friend you dark heathen, he was _MY_ friend not yours!" seethed Mulan bitterly.

Aqua's Heartless shrugged. "I am friend to all creatures consumed by darkness. Who they were before, and who called them friends then, is inconsequential."

"I suppose it's time we get started," said Aqua's Heartless, grinning deviously at Kairi, "It's time for you to scream for me Kairi."

Kairi tensed and raised her Keyblade. "J-just try it!"

Aqua's Heartless vanished and reappeared in-front of Kairi, kicking her square in the stomach. Kairi's eyes bulged and she flew backwards, slamming into the wall and crumpling to the ground. Aqua turned and flicked her wrist, blasting Sora back and to the ground before he could react. Mulan rushed forward, swinging for Aqua's Heartless, only for the Heartless to catch the blade in her palm like it was nothing. She drove her other hand into Mulan's chest, ripped out her heart, and consumed it as the woman's body faded away into darkness.

"M-mulan!" cried out Kairi in horror.

Aqua's Heartless stalked forward and knelt down in-front of Kairi, reaching a hand forward to run possesivly through the girl's hand. "Oh how I've been waiting for this."

She gripped Kairi's hair hard and pulled her, dragging her up to her knees before driving her hand into Kairi's chest, light erupting as it phased through her skin. Kairi screamed as agony ripped through her body.

_BOOM!_

Like last time, immense light bleached the area, making the Heartless briefly wince before grinning. "Mmm yes! Clash your light against my darkness! Fight my power! Grow stronger from it! Ripen the heart I will one day feast on! Awaken more memories of Aqua's from sleep!"

Kairi screamed louder as the hand inside her chest squeezed on her heart. Her light began to fade, and her vision blurred...

"GET OFF HER!" came a furious cry.

_WHAM!_

Sora slammed into the Heartless, knocking her back and off of Kairi, her hand withdrawing from Kairi on impact. The Heartless staggered back a bit before scowling at Sora. She raised a blackening hand, ready to obliterate Sora who stood defiantly before her.

Only to pause. "No, I suppose that will do for now. I don't need her heart collapsing again and forcing me to wait for near another month."

Kairi glanced weakly up. "You... you witch..."

Aqua's Heartless rubbed a chin in thought. "Hmm... I remember... a castle, and a witch. She... taught Aqua about controlling her darkness?"

The Heartless's eyes flickered back and forth, as if going through something, before scowling. "Nothing important, but, there are more... interesting fragments unlocked again. I wonder... what is an X-Blade?"

Sora tensed at that.

Aqua's Heartless shook her head and then snapped a finger, a group of Neoshadows appeared in puffs of darkness... no, not Neoshadows, these were the bigger ones, Novashadows. They made a barrier blocking them off from Aqua's Heartless off as she strode to the now vacant thrones. Aqua's Heartless aimed a blackening hand at the throne, and to Kairi's surprise, a glowing keyhole like thing appeared in the wall behind the throne. Only, the keyhole like thing was filled in, blocked off.

"The Keyholes sealed, what do you think you'll be able to do?!" called out Sora in disbelief.

Aqua's Heartless turned to smirk at Sora, before it began to laugh almost hysterically.

"Keyhole... that's a... Keyhole?" asked Kairi weakly.

Sora nodded. "Yeah. Was one of the easier ones we find."

Keyhole... that term again... it...

Her eyes went wide. "Wait... Lilo and Stich... oh no... I remember now... their world was sealed too..."

"Huh?" said Sora.

Aqua's Heartless roared and dug her hands into the sides of the Keyhole, an immense black aura surrounding her body. Kairi curled up into a ball and sobbed, Sora falling to a knee and crying out, as the presence coming off the Heartless increased massively as it drew out it's power. Now... now she truly understood... the awful presence she felt normally was just it as it was, not even drawing out the true depths of it's darkness... there was truely no hope and nothing anyone could do against that... Vexen was right, there was only one chance against this monster...

_CRACK_

A splinter appeared in the Keyhole's filling...

"NO! No way!" cried out Sora, "T-thats impossible! Only a Keyblade can re-open it! Y-you can't break open a Keyhole!"

"Watch me!" laughed out Aqua's Heartless.

_RIP_

Aqua's Heartless tore the sides off the Keyhole, and Kairi swore the world itself screamed as unholy cries filled the air, black energy leaking out of the damaged Keyhole. This wasn't... this wasn't right! Aqua's Heartless began to use the broken sides, gripping the sealed portion of the Keyhole and breaking chunks off of it. The world began to tremble and scream again, making Kairi and Sora cry with it and clutch their ears to try and block off the awful sound.

Finally, Aqua's Heartless tore the seal itself out of the broken and 'bleeding' Keyhole, grinning savagely at it. "It's been far to long since I last fed on a world."

She turned her head and grinned at Kairi. "Until next time."

"NO!" screamed Kairi.

The Heartless drove it's arm into the Keyhole...

The world around them began to buck and crack. Fissures tore through the palace, leaking black energy. Sora swore and activated his armor, rushing over to Kairi and slapping a hand on her activator as well, summoning her helmet to complete her armor as darkness swallowed the world...


	20. Overreach

Kairi groaned in pain and opened her eyes, finding herself in an unfamiliar bed. "Where...?"

"Kairi!" came a happy shout.

Kairi turned her head to see Sora rise from a chair next to her bed and smile down at her with relief. "I'm glad your awake!"

She started to sit up before cringing, crying out, clutching a hand to her chest, and crashing back down. "Gyaaah!"

"Woah! Easy Kairi!" said Sora, placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her down, "You just had your heart squeezed by that Heartless, go easy on yourself and just rest for a bit."

Kairi scowled and forced his hand away. "I-I'm f-fine!"

She tried to sit up again, wincing painfully. "I..."

Sora narrowed his eyes, and forced her back down with both hands. "Kairi. Lay down, and rest, that's an order!"

"I'm not weak!" she said, struggling, "We can't wait, we have to find Kingdom Hearts, we..."

Sora stared at her, hard. "Kairi, I never said you were. You're were always pushing yourself in missions, always throwing yourself into the harder ones, in Lordaeran and Alexandria. I don't know what you seem to think you have to prove, but, you don't have to, not to me."

She went silent.

He sighed. "I don't think I could bear seeing you fall into sleep again, not like last time. Don't risk damaging your heart, please just rest for a bit."

She averted her eyes. "Fine..."

"I'm going to go see if I can't find us something to eat and drink in this weird town," he said.

"Weird town?" she asked.

"Yeah, we arrived here after the Land of Dragons was consumed, us and a few surviving soldiers from that world," he said.

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed. "That notion... is familiar."

She looked to a window and then to Sora. "Umm... h-help me to a window."

Sora hesitated before gently pulling one of her arms over his shoulder and carefully walking them over.

Kairi gave a small gasp when she looked outside. "T-t-t-thats i-impossible!"

"Kairi? Do you know this place?" he asked.

"It's... it's home, it's Traverse Town," she whispered in disbelief.

Sora gave a start. "Huh?! But wait, Aqua's Heartless consumed this world."

Sora helped lay her back down on the bed. "This is weird..."

Kairi thought about it briefly. "Well... Traverse Town existed to give refuge to people whose worlds were lost to darkness... maybe... a new Traverse Town was made to replace the old one. The need for a refuge is definitely still there."

"S-sora, umm...," she began sheepishly, "C-could you go see if my home's still there?"

"Sure," he answered, "Where is it?"

She gave him directions and sent him on his way. She sighed miserably and sank her head as deep into her pillow as she could. The aching throb in her chest was irritating as hell. What she wouldn't give for a Princess of Heart to be here to heal it...

She blanked for a moment before smacking herself on her forehead. " _YOU'RE_ a Princess of Heart, idiot!"

She rested a hand on her chest and began carefully pouring light into her heart, trying her best to mend the damage. She was pretty sure she wasn't as good as the others, considering her light was more focused towards fighting as theirs were towards a supportive role. Still, the throb was slowly starting to fade away. It would probably take a good hour or so to heal off the damage. All things considered, she doubted it was even close to as bad as it had been the first time around, she was thankfully not losing all her memories and on her way to a sleeping world.

Sora returned a bit later, a hesitant look on his face. "Umm..."

"It wasn't there, was it?" she asked softly.

He shook his head. "No, sorry."

She sighed. "I figured, it's a new Traverse Town, not the old one. Dammit, all those years we spent on this place, just swept away in a single night."

Sora gave her a sad look. "I'm sorry."

She merely shook her head and resumed finishing off the damage to her heart. When she was finished, she rose to her feet and moved to the window, longingly looking out at her home but not home. Sora moved to stand next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. She wouldn't admit it out loud... but... she was kind of glad he was here...

_WARP_

Both Sora and Kairi froze as a Dark Corridor appeared outside, and out of it stepped...

"Xehanort," hissed Sora.

Oh great... first Aqua's Heartless, now this. So... this was him in the flesh...

_WARP_

Two huge armored Emblem Heartless with separated levitating limbs appeared, ones she hadn't seen in years. "Huh, Guard Armors."

_WARP_

Both Kairi and Sora tensed as plenty of Emblem Heartless began appearing behind the two Guard Armors. "Oh boy..."

"Well, let's go see what the old bastard wants," muttered Sora, summoning his Keyblade.

Kairi did the same and followed him outside.

Xehanort gazed at Kairi, irritation playing across his face. "I had such high hopes for you child, all now for naught."

Kairi gave him a baffled look. "What are you going on about?"

"I know," spat Xehanort, "I had a Emblem Heartless watching the entire encounter in the Land of the Dragons. I know that confounded woman is using you to unlock the memories and true power of the heart at her core."

The man clenched his fists. "That, is an unacceptable outcome. As such, you are now an extreme liability, and your light, must be snuffed out."

Kairi tensed, gripping her Keyblade tightly and muttered. "So much for using me against Aqua's Heartless."

Xehanort grinned, _pure_ _evil_ playing across his face. "An unfortunate setback, but, if you are any indication, then perhaps the youngest Princess of Heart, Alice, could serve as a backup. All I have to do is create a distraction, steal her, and pit her against my Heartless over and over again until she's caught up to your power. I admit the process may break the girl..."

"But that is an acceptable risk," said Xehanort, chuckling darkly, "And if she dies, well, I suppose I'll have to wait for a replacement Princess of Heart to be born..."

"Just you fucking try it you bastard!" she yelled at him, furious light starting to coat her body.

Sora was equally pissed. "You won't _TOUCH_ Alice!"

She glanced at Sora, and he glanced back, both nodding to one another. Xehanort was _NOT_ leaving this place alive, not if they could help it. They didn't wait for him to start things off, Kairi leaped into the air and came down, stabbing her Keyblade into the ground and unleashing Stock Break, light bathing the area. Xehanort and his Heartless were knocked back and damaged.

"Ragnarok!" roared Sora, unleashing a circle of bolts that barreled into one of the weakened Guard Armors, obliterating it.

Kairi rushed at Xehanort, ready to run him through, only for the man to teleport away.

"To the side!" called out Sora.

Kairi turned and raised her Keyblade defensively at his words...

_WHAM!_

A fist from the remaining Guard Armor slammed into her weapon, sending her flying at the impact. She took it in stride and rolled on landing, springing to her feet and sweeping her Keyblade in a circle around her, clearing the lesser Heartless from her.

Sora rushed at the Guard Armor, tearing into it with an Ars Arcanium and destroying it. "Whats with the weak Heartless, Xehanort? These haven't been a challenge since I was a starting apprentice. What? Running out of your lackeys to throw at us? Aqua's Heartless getting all the good hearts?"

Xehanort's response was to glare at him and release a bolt of black lightning from his hand that tore into Sora and sent him screaming to the ground.

"Sora!" cried out Kairi in alarm, bursting towards the downed boy.

Xehanort teleported directly in front of Kairi, catching her off-guard. He thrust a hand forward and unleashed a burst of black fire, setting her aflame and sending her crashing back.

Kairi rolled as she hit and sprang to her feet, raising her Keyblade into the air and crying out, "LIGHT!"

Light erupted from her Keyblade, dousing the flames on her, healing her, destroying any remaining lesser Heartless, and sending Xehanort staggering back. Kairi rushed at him and swung, her Keyblade slicing across his chest and Heartless Emblem. Xehanort grunted in pain and teleported back a ways, an annoyed look crossing his face. He threw a hand to the side, unleashed a blast of dark energy, and created a black portal that spilled out lesser Emblem Heartless. He repeated himself, creating another four portals before teleporting to the top of a nearby building.

"Gotta... close em or... we'll get overwhelmed," called out Sora painfully, rising to his feet.

Kairi turned and aimed a hand at Sora, releasing a burst of light that showered and healed him. He gave her a nod of thanks and then charged into the fray, Oblivion sweeping through the air. Kairi decided to let him handle fighting the Heartless and focused her efforts on the portals themselves.

She aimed her Keyblade at the first one and yelled, "Light Chains!"

Chains of light burst out of her Keyblade and wrapped around the portal and squeezed it close. She nodded in satisfaction, turning towards the next...

_WHAM!_

Kairi screamed in pain as a block of black ice slammed into her and exploded, sending tiny sharp shards every that plunked off her armor, some embedding into her neck and face. She turned to hatefully glare up at Xehanort, who held a palm towards her, lightning coating it.

_CRACK!_

Lightning ripped from his fingertips at her. Kairi braced herself, raising her Keyblade defensively to block the magic. It hit and coursed over her Keyblade, sparking and whining with energy. She dug her feet down and struggled to hold back the attack, her arms bucking a bit. She gave a roar and threw the spell off her and into a portal, obliterating it. She huffed a bit with effort before shaking her head.

"Two down, three to go," she muttered with aggravation.

Sitting up there and lobbing spells at them, that old bastard wasn't going to make this easy... well, better return the favor then!

Light whined around Kairi and she thrust the handle of her Keyblade out at Xehanort. "Shock!"

Light exploded around the man, sending him staggering and toppling off the other side of the roof. Kairi smirked at that and then turned towards the next portal, checking on Sora briefly along the way. The boy had planted himself roughly in the middle of the area between the three remaining portals, Keyblade singing through Heartless after Heartless, a storm of freed hearts raising into the air in his wake.

Kairi aimed her Keyblade and was about to release another Light Chains when Sora did something that left her stupefied.

He stood out one foot, cocked his Keyblade like a baseball bat, light radiating off him, and then spun. "LIGHT!"

Spinning pillars and circles of light erupted off him in a blaze of glory, obliterating the remaining Heartless and portals.

Kairi glared jealously at him. "You know how to use Salvation?!"

Sora gave her a cheeky grin. "Just because Mickey's my primary teacher doesn't mean Ven doesn't teach me anything."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "You go on more missions with Ven than Mickey anyway, he might as well _BE_ your main teacher."

"Hey don't knock Mickey, he has a lot on his plate," said Sora, a pout on his face.

_WARP_

Xehanort teleported between Sora and Kairi, an infuriated look crossing his face. "You've come a long way, children, since you first claimed your Keyblades, but not nearly far enough. I cannot doddle here, it's time."

Darkness spilled out of the man, blackening the air and ground. An immense black and purple aura coated the man. He held up a hand, and then slammed it into the ground.

"MOVE!" cried out Sora, tackling Kairi aside.

_BOOM!_

An explosion of darkness burst out of the ground where she had been. They scrambled to get out of the way as a jagged X shaped sigil appeared on the ground underneath them, exploding moments after they moved. They bolted, the explosive sigils trailing them as they moved. Kairi's body shivered as darkness rolled over them with each explosion. The power the man was emitting was immense.

The ground began to tremble and the explosive sigils stopped, instead, a huge black and red jagged X spreading along the ground from where Xehanort stood.

"As your flesh bears the sigil...," spoke Xehanort.

Two red jagged X's appeared in-front of Sora and Kairi, rushing at them and latching on, wrapping around them and binding them in place.

Xehanort rose into the air and held a hand up, a huge red and black sphere of energy appearing overhead. "So shall you forfeit your lives as Recusants."

Recusants? The hell was that supposed to mean?

The sphere of energy grow more and more massive, the darkness coating the air and ground being drawn into it. Kairi struggled against her binding, her light ripping at it to no avail. The blast... if he hit them with that...

"Begone!" roared Xehanort, pouring the rest of his dark aura into it and then throwing the sphere down at them.

Kairi ground her teeth and braced herself as best she could, not sure if she'd even survive the hit. This was bad...

_WARP_

And now it was even worse.

A Dark Corridor appeared in front of Sora and Kairi, and out of it stepped Aqua's Heartless. The combined dark presences between the two Heartless made Kairi shiver and moan in distress, her entire body trembling. T-this was t-to much evil i-in one spot...

Then, something baffling happened. Aqua's Heartless rose into the air and caught the energy sphere in one hand, stopping it effortlessly.

" ** _YOU DARE?_** " hissed Aqua's Heartless.

Kairi saw it then, and she knew real terror. She saw rage on the Heartless's face, she was _PISSED_. She had never seen her angry before, it was the most frightening thing in all of existence as far as Kairi was concerned...

She glanced up at the target of Aqua's Heartless's anger, Xehanort floating in the air, terror on his face. A Dark Corridor appeared behind him and he turned to flee, but it was to late. Aqua's Heartless aimed her spare hand at him, dark tendrils bursting from her hand and latching onto the other Heartless. She yanked and threw Xehanort to the ground, hard. She then glanced up at the sphere in her hand, cocked a fist, and hit it off into space before levitating to the ground.

Kairi stared at her, stupefied. She had just _SAVED_ them?!

Aqua's Heartless stalked over and reached down, grabbing Xehanort by the throat and lifting him. "I've ignored you up to this point because you weren't ever worth the effort of tracking down, were never a threat or a danger. But you crossed a line, you dared to try to take away what is _MINE_."

Kairi bristled when she saw the Heartless's eyes turn to her. "I am not _YOURS_!"

Aqua's Heartless smirked at her. "Oh, but you are, ever since I first held your heart in my grip. I could have fed on you then and there, buried your heart forever along with countless others inside of me. You exist as you are now on borrowed time. Your heart, and your screams that awaken Aqua's memories, both belong to me."

"In fact... since I smell that your heart has healed, allow me to remind you of that fact," said Aqua's Heartless, a devious grin spreading across her face.

She beckoned with her hand, and the red X wrapping Kairi turned blue, began glowing black, and took Kairi into the air, dragging her forward.

Kairi struggled and began to panic. "No no no no not again _PLEASE NO!_ "

Aqua's Heartless briefly glared at Xehanort trapped in her grasp. "You fear the chains of memories she can awaken, allow me to further that terror right before your eyes."

Kairi screamed as the Heartless put her hand into the girl's chest, gripping her heart with agonizing force. "Stoooooop!"

No no no not this pain again! Two times was already two times to much! "GAAAAH!"

"Oh, and since Sora interrupted me last time, we're going to go for a bit longer," said Aqua's Heartless, laughing as she squeezed another agonizing scream from Kairi.

"Kairi!" screamed Sora, struggling helplessly against his bonds.

Kairi convulsed, light ripped out of her, obliterating the X binding her, making Aqua's Heartless hiss a bit, discomforted, and making Xehanort cry out in agony.

"Hahahahah!" laughed Aqua, "Each time you unleash your light like this, it burns more than the last! Pain and conflict grows the heart, Kairi, I'm doing you a favor!"

"STOP!" she screamed again, she couldn't stand the pain, "Someone, anyone, _HELP_!"

The Heartless squeezed one last time, eliciting a final sob out of her, and tossed her aside. Kairi hit the ground hard, her entire world spinning, agony throbbing through every part of her body. Her vision blackened, her breathing became immensely labored, she had to struggle not to pass out. She could feel a dreadfully familiar lull of sleep trying to call for her. She dared not close her eyes, lest she not be able to open them again...

"Hahahah," laughed Aqua's Heartless, bringing her free hand up to rub her forehead. "Oh... so many memories this time... they're coming loose so easily now... I didn't notice it before thanks to a certain boy's interruption... but... compared to the first time, it's almost as if there was a blockage in the way, and now, it's gone."'

Kairi struggled to make sense of the Heartless's words through the pain clouding her mind, before it hit her. The only difference pertaining to Aqua's heart, was that Aqua had gone fully to sleep in order to awaken Kairi when her heart had nearly died...

Oh no...

If this meant what she thought it did, they had _FAR_ less time then Kairi would have hoped for. Aqua was no longer holding on, no longer in the way struggling against sleep...

Aqua's Heartless turned to her captive. "I remember exactly who you are now, _Xehanort_."

Xehanort trembled.

Aqua's Heartless's face turned wrathful and she snarled out, "You never learned your lesson from messing with my former self. You tried to take what was mine, just like you tried to take what was hers. Last time, she nearly obliterated your heart for trying to steal her body, this time... well..."

She grinned almost maddeningly at him. "You won't be as fortunate to receive such an end. I have something _special_ in mind for you, I think you'll fit the role nicely."

Darkness screamed through the air from the Heartless and wrapped both her and her captive in it's embrace. When it faded, both of them were gone.

Sora was at her side in an instant, kneeling down. "Kairi? Are you al..."

"F-finish t-that question," she gasped out, "A-and I s-swear I'll run you t-through!"

Sora smiled helplessly at her. "Kairi... don't... ever change."

Sora gently slipped his hands underneath Kairi's body and lifted her up, carrying her back inside and setting her on the bed. Kairi knew it was pitiful, but she couldn't help but curl into a ball, shivering in pain, tears streaming down her face.

"I know it hurts, to probably do anything, but, can you heal yourself again?" he asked softly.

"I d-dont have... t-the energy," she gasped out.

Sora nodded. "That explosion was something, you actually stung her a bit, more than any of us have been able to do in a long time."

Sora's hands began to glow, and he took one of Kairi's between his. "Here, take as much of my light as you need."

Kairi looked away from him for a moment, before taking a ragged breath, shoving away her pride, and gripping his hands, drawing out as much as he would give and using it to try and mend her heart. "T-thank you... Sora..."

He smiled at her. "Hey, what are friends for?"

"Friends...," she murmured weakly.

Kairi closed her eyes and focused, and, for a time, nothing more was heard except for the soft hum of light around their hands...


	21. Consolidated Evil

Kairi yawned and sat in the back of Sora's glider as they flew through the Lanes Between, stretching. She had repaired her heart enough to at least walk and move, but, a nap in the back of the glider had done her some additional good. She glanced over at Sora, noting that he was flying 'very' slow, in a position that screamed 'sleeping at the wheel'. She smiled softly at that, hidden under her helmet. They ought to have been to the next world hours ago, but, she wasn't complaining this time, they both had needed rest.

She rose to her feet and moved to Sora, shaking his shoulder. He gave a start and glanced around before looking back at her, tilting his head. She spun a finger through the air, basically telling him to get a move on. Sora slowly shook his head, she was pretty sure he might be laughing. He sat up straight, gripped the steering wheel, and planted a foot down, taking off at top speed.

They arrived at Lordaeran a few minutes later and landed outside Brill, Sora dismissing his armor and glider, Kairi banishing her helmet.

"So, think we'll find a clue here?" Sora asked.

"No idea, but, there is an awful amount of darkness here, especially in the Shadowlands," she said, "We're going to have to check to see if that's what Vexen meant.

"I'm _REALLY_ not sure the two of us going there is a good idea," admitted Sora, "It's asking to get killed. I mean, were both strong, but, it's the Shadowlands."

Kairi smirked and playfully socked his shoulder. "Coward. Bet I get more Heartless then you."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"

Kairi's response was to boot his stomach 'softly' and knock him to the ground before racing off. "You bet it is! Loser owes the other a favor!"

"Hey! That's not fair!" whined Sora, scrambling to his feet and taking off after her.

Fun as it sounded, both of them a least took it serious the moment they entered the Western Shadowlands and the Heartless began appearing in number. But before Kairi and Sora, before Oathkeeper and Oblivion, they were nothing. They tore through effortlessly, up until they reached the first darkness blotched field. Kairi glanced it over silently, searching, but found no light in that darkness...

But...

She narrowed her eyes. "Sora, cover me."

"Huh?" he asked.

Kairi rushed out, into the blotched field.

"KAIRI!" yelled Sora, "What are you _DOING_?"

It felt like she was moving through mud, the dark muck at her feet gripping at her and trying to pull her down. Instead, she coated herself in an aura of light, and forced herself through, Keyblade destroying any Heartless that dared go for her. When she reached the center, she put through her head memories of Sora and Ven, of them using one of the most powerful light techniques she had ever seen, Salvation. Through her mind, she ran how the technique felt when they did it. Either this worked, or she was about to make a fool of herself.

She began glowing intensely, half knelt, holding her Keyblade out behind her, she took a step forward, rose, spun one foot, and thrust her Keyblade into the air. "LIGHT!"

_BOOM!_

Pillars and circles of light erupted around her, spinning with her as the eye of the storm of light. It obliterated any nearby Heartless, and banishing the shadow coating the field in one go.

She lowered her Keyblade, a huge grin on her face. "Awesome, I did it!"

"Nice," said Sora, coming up to stand at her side.

Kairi glanced around the cleansed field, a satisfied half-smile on her lips. "I've been wanting to purge this darkness ever since I first saw it. Even if we can't find Kingdom Hearts or a clue here, we can still help this world."

Sora nodded. "Alright."

He winked at her. "Dibs on the next field!"

Kairi scowled. "Hey! No fair!"

"You're one to talk," he shot back, taking off at top speed.

Kairi grinned and took off after him. They ran, sweeping through the Heartless like they weren't even there, purging the remaining three fields, alternating between them who purged, before coming to the bridge to the Eastern Shadowlands. Their playful attitude faded, and a serious look crossed both their faces. The Western Shadowlands paled in comparison to the Eastern one.

"Alright, no goofing off this time," said Sora, "We stick together."

"Me, goof off? You're one to talk," she jabbed playfully.

Sora rolled his eyes and started off. Kairi followed, resisting the urge to gag as the stench of darkness washed over them. The Heartless coming at them grew stronger than before, and they actually started having to put a bit of effort into fighting. This... was so much more different than just running through the Eastern Shadowlands in a mad dash for the other side. Intense, was to weak a word.

"Which way are we going?" shouted Sora.

"Darrowshire first," she called back.

She noted a heavy silence come over Sora, a brooding look crossing his face. "Sora?"

"I... fought there when it fell to darkness, it was... bad," he said sullenly, "If Mickey hadn't dragged me onto his glider and bolted, I probably wouldn't be here now. No one else, not Davil, not Joeseph, made it."

Kairi couldn't find anything to say to his sadness, she merely focused on fighting instead. They fought into the darkness swamped town, their feet slogging through dark muck, a black mist in the air. Then, suddenly, the Heartless tide stopped, and the town grew silent.

"Uh... why do I suddenly have a bad feeling?" she murmured.

"You and me both," muttered Sora.

The darkness around them began to swirl and condensed into the center of town next to a well. Out of it, rose a massive bony, horned, and robed creature, levitating a bit above the ground. It was like a horrific, demonic, horned skeleton, no skin anywhere on it. It's eyes glowed pitch black, as did a core of darkness around where it's heart would have been had it been a person. Chains floated around its chest, to Kairi's surprise, she noticed a _BLUE_ Heartless Emblem on it's rib-cage. This... was the first time she had seen that emblem on anyone but Aqua's Heartless. It had a headdress like ornament was attached to it's neck and head. It was emitting a sense of evil that made Kairi shiver, only Xehanort and Aqua's Heartless rivaled what she felt right now.

Kairi noted that Sora had gone tense, anger splashing across his face. "You... recognize it?"

"I remember him, both when he was a human working for the Scourge, and after he was swallowed by the darkness and became what you see now," spat Sora, rage growing on his face, "The things he's done, he's an inhuman monster!"

This... was one of the few times she had seen him legitimately angry. "Who, what, is it?"

"Kel'Thuzzad," snarled Sora, gripping his Keyblade tightly, "Why are you here instead of cowering up in Noxious Glade with the rest of the Emblems?"

Kel'Thuzzad grinned a bony smile at them. "The Mistress commands that I test the girl personally."

Ah great... Aqua's Heartless was probably watching them through her Heartless...

"Mistress?" questioned Sora, "But Xehanort's the one who... wait what?! What's with that symbol?"

She glanced at Sora confusingly, "Huh?"

Sora looked baffled. "It was black and red last time I saw him, why is it blue and black now?"

As if in response, Kel'Thuzzad snapped his fingers...

To Kairi's shock, _BOTH_ Emblem and Pureblood Heartless appeared around him. Only... the black and red symbol she had normally associated with them was gone, ALL of them had a blue and black emblem instead, as if...

"Oh shit," said Kairi, understanding washing over her, "Aqua's Heartless took Xehanort out, she has control of all his Emblem Heartless."

"Whaaa?!" exclaimed Sora.

Aqua's Heartless had absolute control over every Heartless in existence now... oh jeez... as if things weren't already bad enough...

Kel'Thuzzad aimed a bony hand at them, and a nova of black ice erupted between them, shattering and knocking them away from one another. Emblem and Purebloods rushed at the separated pair, hungering for their hearts. Kairi swept her Keyblade in-front of her, backpedaling, uncertainty crossing her face. She had never seen the two types of Heartless fight alongside one another before, it left her with a complete lack of experience in how to fight that kind of combination...

Well, when in doubt, go with brute force solutions.

Kairi surged forward, leaping into the air and coming down to Stock Break, blasting apart the group with light, and then Sonic Blading through the rest before rushing at Kel'Thuzzad. She leaped into the air and aimed to take his bony head from his shoulder, only for him to raise a hand and unleash a frostbolt at her, slamming into her midsection and send her tumbling backwards and to the ground, hard.

She winced on impact. "Owww."

She glanced up, noticing Kel'Thuzzad aiming a glowing hand at her. The ground between them started to rip open, a fissure of darkness racing towards her. Kairi rolled, scrambled to her feet, and bolted away from it as darkness erupted out of the fissures in an almost deafening _CRACK_.

"For Andorhal! For Hearthglen! For every life you and the Scourge _STOLE_!" came Sora's roar.

Kairi stopped running and glanced back, sighting Sora leaping onto Kel'Thuzzad, driving Oblivion straight through his rib-cage. The Heartless monster screeched in pain before swatting Sora off him, black energy leaking out of it's body like blood. Kairi was about to join and help him before pausing as Sora threw himself back at the monster, lost in fury. This... seemed almost kind of personal for him...

Kairi decided to stay out of that fight, trusting Sora to handle it and sate whatever rage was running through him, and moved to keep the lesser Heartless out of his way. She had only come to this world after the fact, she was more than aware she had missed a lot of history that Sora had personally experienced and fought through. Kel'Thuzzad might have been sent for her, but, it felt more like Sora's fight than hers...

"Enough!" screeched Kel'Thuzzad, smashing Sora away and then unleashing a wave of black frost that froze their feet in place.

"Your flesh will decay before your very eyes!" cackled Kel'Thuzzad, holding glowing blackened skeletal hands into the air.

Kairi and Sora both screamed as the entire area became coated with dark mist that ate at them. Kairi hissed in pain, feeling the energy gnaw at her. It wasn't just them though, the very land at their feet, the grass, the ground, the rocks, nearby buildings, everything started just... dying... it was as if his magic was inflicting death and decay on everything it touched...

_SHINE!_

Kairi's eyes went wide with surprise when a barrier of light engulfed both Sora and herself, shielding them from the deadly magic. "What?"

"FOR THE LIGHT!" came a familiar roar.

Kairi turned her head in time to see Arthas and Uther arrive leading a squadron of Paladins and warriors. Arthas threw his hammer, light shining from it, and embedded it straight into Kel'Thuzzad's skull. The deathly magic stopped, and the monster staggered back. It tore at the hammer and threw it to the ground...

But it was to late for him.

Sora, Kairi, Uther, Arthas, and everyone else was upon Kel'Thuzzad. They beat him into the ground, severed or pulverized his bones, leaving him as nothing but a bony pulp by the time they finally came to a stop, his heart finally popping free and floating into the air.

"That," spat Arthas, "Was a long time coming."

"Agreed," muttered Sora, a dark look on his face, still shaking with anger

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed. What in the world had Kel'Thuzzad done to shake Sora so, to make him so furious?

Uther turned to them, eyebrows narrowing. "What exactly do you two apprentices think you're doing? A scout caught sight of you cleansing the fields and reported you in, are you trying to get yourselves killed?"

Kairi banished Oathkeeper and crossed her arms. "We're wiping out the darkness here is what were doing."

"It just comes back m'lady," said one of the soldiers.

"Have you ever purged it all at once?" she asked, "Wiped it completely clean so there's nothing else to re-taint the area?"

There was a bit of silence from the group.

She understood it though, years in Traverse Town had taught her what they had been going through, just to a lesser degree. "You're too used to just surviving, and not taking a stand."

"I don't know about that," said Arthas, "Every attack on a town, every caravan through the Shadowlands is a stand against the darkness."

Kairi gave him a look. "You know what I mean. Actually going out and wiping the darkness out completely."

Uther sighed. "And throw away what few remaining lives we have left?"

Kairi frowned. "They'll die anyway if nothings done."

Uther gave her a hard stare. "Is this a game to you child? You think by running away from your Masters and seeking glory is the right path?"

Kairi bristled. "Excuse me? This has _NOTHING_ to do with them, and how do you even know about that?"

Uther brought a purple communications crystal out of his pocket. "Your Masters asked if I had seen you awhile ago."

Kairi started forward and brushed passed him. "We arn't here then. I have nothing to say to them."

She left, Sora jogging to catch up to her. For a few minutes, nothing was said.

"You... seemed really angry when fighting that guy," said Kairi.

Sora was silent for a moment before sighing and rubbing his eyes. "The Scourge... as far as I'm concerned, was far worse than the Heartless, if not in the count of lives stolen, then in the ways that they did so. They... I..."

Sora came to a stop and looked at the ground. "I was just nine years old when I came here and fought the undead. It was... well... horrifying. The Heartless, they just take your heart, they don't torture you or..."

Kairi coughed and gave him an intensely pointed look.

Sora winced. "Okay okay, outside of Aqua's Heartless and Xehanort they don't. The Scourge? They do all that and more. They... left corpses everywhere, mutilated, tortured, disfigured and dismembered. The blood, the stench, the decay, former friends rushing to kill you... I... I just... I still have nightmares about it from time to time."

"Sora...," was all she could say weakly, not sure what else could be said.

He sighed. "The Masters told me we weren't supposed to interfere in the worlds unless outside darkness was involved. If I hadn't snuck off to follow Arthas, I would have been expected to just sit back and let the whole thing play it's course, not interfering because it was an 'inter-world affair'..."

"Bunch of bullshit if you ask me," said Kairi, spitting at the ground.

Sora scratched his head. "I don't like breaking the rules, but, sometimes, I agree, it is stupid. Things like that, evil like that, it has to be stopped, even if it's against the rules. I really, truly think, if I hadn't been there for Arthas, things would have gone really bad in this world..."

"And I still owe you for that," came a voice.

They both turned to see Arthas, Uther, and their men walking up to them.

Uther strode to the front. "I don't agree with this foolishness, but damned if I'm going to sit back and let you two risk your lives on our behalf without me lifting a finger to help."

"Agreed," said Arthas.

"Umm, sirs and ma'am," said one of the soldiers, "Where's the Heartless?"

Kairi paused, they all did. Now that they mentioned it... where were the Heartless? They hadn't seen any since Darrowshire. Normally one couldn't take a step through the Eastern Shadowlands without being swamped. Where in the world were all of the Heartless?

Sora stiffened. "Kairi, you feel that?"

Kairi blinked once and focused. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and she felt an immense amount of darkness, more than normal for this place, gathering in one spot. She took off running, summoning Oathkeeper, Sora and the others following suite. They came to the main area of the Eastern Shadowlands outside Corrin's Crossing. There, in the area cutting them off from Tyr's Hand, was an amalgamation of darkness unlike anything Kairi had ever seen.

Darkness was being pulled from every corner of the Shadowlands, feeding into a swirling mass of shadows. It was like a Demon Tower, but far bigger, longer, thicker, and flying through the air instead of being stuck to the ground. Not to mention feeling far more powerful.

"It's like staring into a sea, a tide, of shadows," muttered Sora.

"Demon Tide then?" asked Arthas.

"Yeah, the name fits," said Sora uneasily.

Uther turned to his men. "All of you, get to Strathlome, now. This is beyond any of you. Get the Ashbringer, go, now."

Kairi watched them go, agreeing wholeheartedly with Uther. This... thing... felt incredibly dangerous. The only darknesses stronger than it that she had encountered up to this point were Xehanort and Aqua's Heartlesses, and that was a given.

Oh boy this was going to be messy...

"I vote... keep our distance until Alex gets here," said Sora.

"To late!" said Arthas, pointing at the swirling mass.

They all dove to the side as the Demon Tide began glowing red and charged at them. Glowing red shadows flaked off as it surged passed, running after them and exploding on contact. Kairi gave a yelp and was thrown back, landing and skidding on the ground. She flipped herself up and dove, staggering out of the way as more exploding shadows ran at her.

Kairi lost the ability to keep track of anything but keeping herself _OUT_ of it's way as it sped up, surging into the ground and then exploding outward, coming straight for her. She dove out of the way and kept on scrambling, as it turned and made for her again and again, each time it turned and came back around for her, trying to ram and flatten her to the ground.

"Has this Heartless got a thing for me or what?!" she yelled.

"Just keep it busy!" called out Sora.

She turned, seeing him and and the others swiping at it as it passed them and unleashing light attacks and magic into it. Well... if it wanted to focus on her, let it, she'd keep it busy and let the others whittle at it. She kept her distance from them, making sure it's attacks were far from them.

The Demon Tide glowed red and surged into the air before coming around barreling at her at such a speed that it began to glow blue with the force of it's movement. Kairi scrambled to get out of the way, barely moving out of the way, and again, and again, and again before he started simply flying around, letting them attack it almost freely.

This thing... for all the power it exerted, if she just dodged, it actually wasn't that threatening...

"For Lordaeran, for the King!" came a powerful voice.

Kairi turned her head to see Alexandrous Mograine charging out on horseback. Damn, that was quick. The man aimed his blade and unleashed a powerful blast of light, charring the Demon Tide, making it scream, and then rise into the air.

Kairi's blood ran cold as it plummeted down towards, and into the ground, black ooze surging out to coat the ground, the air around them darkening.

"I think you pissed it off Mograine," called out Arthas.

The Ashbringer leaped off his horse and sent it away, gripping his blade tightly as he approached, eyes narrowed at the Heartless mass. "Good."

A congested ball of shadows, like a core, glowing orange almost like it had a fire inside of it, rose out of the ground. The mass of the tide began spinning around it like a cyclone. They all cried out and had to scramble or block as it started shooting red glowing shadows at them. It pelted the shadows at them like an infinite replenishing gun. Finally, it stopped shooting them, only to glow red and start rushing at them. It was far fast this time around, to fast even.

Kairi was slammed into, sending her flying and skidding along the ground, and she wasn't the only one either. Kairi shook her head and rose to her feet, glancing around at the others. To her surprise, the three paladins formed barriers of night impenetrable light around themselves and charged at the Demon Tide, it's attacks bouncing off them harmlessly.

"I've _got_ to learn divine shield," she muttered jealously.

She and Sora backed off, letting the Paladins let into it's core for a bit...

The Demon Tide began to pulsate. It's core rose out of attack range and vanished. Kairi got confused for a second, before the Demon Tide started lobbing huge balls of purple and black energy out of the funnel and down on them all. What's worse, rather than just exploding when the attacks hit the ground, each ball sank into the ground, then came out and started bouncing after them.

" _REALLY_?" shouted Kairi, panicking and running as fast as she could with Sora at her side, legs starting to burn, she hadn't stopped running pretty much since it had arrived.

Then, the attack warped. All of the balls merged together and rushed at the Paladins, exploding, breaking their barriers, and rocketing them from the battle. The Demon Tide sank into the ground and moved, coming up to surround her and Sora, raising high into the air like an impenetrable barrier. They were buffeted by a wave of darkness and thrown into the air, and out of the ground, more balls of black and purple energy streamed up at them...

In that single moment they hung in the air, she and Sora exchanged glances and looked down, falling into that mass of darkness and energy was death...

Sora held out a hand towards her, glowing with light, raising his Keyblade in a familiar gesture. Her eyes went wide, recognizing the what he was about to do. She channeled her light, glowing as well, and took his hand, mirroring him. They used eachother to spin as they fell towards the destructive energy.

"LIGHT!" they screamed together, pillars and circles of light bursting out of the ground and spinning around them.

_BOOM!_

Their conjoined Salvation technique unleashed a massive explosion of light that obliterated the Demon Tide and bathed the entirety of the Shadowlands with light...

Of course that didn't exactly save them from crashing into the ground painfully. They both groaned and laid there, a mass of limbs sprawled over one another.

There came a soft chuckle as the paladins walked up to them.

"Not bad, for children," said Alexandrous.

"Ha, that was impressive and you know it Mograine," said Arthas.

"Keybearers indeed," said Uther, a smirk on his face.

Arthas and Uther helped them to their feet, and they all looked around. Without the darkness tainting the land... it almost seemed peaceful. If not for the ruined Corrin's Crossing to the north, it would have been hard to tell there had been anything wrong with this place...

Arthas crossed his arms and spoke softly. "I... had forgotten how beautiful Lordaeran was without the taint of death or darkness clouding it."

They simply stood there together for a time, looking over the cleansed land...

_WARP_

Until the moment was ruined, and Aqua's Heartless stepped out of a Dark Corridor before them. They all tensed and nervously brandished their weapons.

The Heartless scowled at Kairi. "That fight was for you, and you alone, Kairi. I did not order my friends to merge and fight to the death only for your allies to interfere with the battle. It was meant for you to press yourself to your limits of your power and grow stronger. Was Kel'Thuzzad's words not enough to get it through your head?"

Kairi narrowed her eyes at her, and was about to respond, before Sora did for her, "Our friends are our power, the reason we fight, and our guiding light in our time of need. I'd think you would have remembered that fact going through Aqua's memories."

The Heartless turned her head to glare at Sora, a dark aura pulsating off her. "Be silent. You aren't worth being addressed or listening too."

Sora took a fearful step back.

The Heartless sighed and shook her head before staring at Kairi. "Oh well, if you had fought it on your own, you probably wouldn't have come out in a state where we could have had another 'session'. I suppose I'll have to take more of your screams as compensation."

Kairi raised her Keyblade fearfully. "Y-you stay a-away from me!"

The Heartless grinned. "Oh? You don't wish to give me more memories? Well, I suppose I could let you go this time, but, if you do go, I'll have to take something else..."

Her eyes flickered to the others. "Like the hearts of your friends here..."

Kairi froze.

The Heartless extended her hand to Kairi. "Make your choice. Come to me willingly, or run and let your friends perish."

"You witch!" shouted Sora, starting forward, only for both Alexandrous and Uther to grip his shoulder and pull him back.

Kairi bowed her head, trembling. "I... I hate you..."

The Heartless only smiled in response. "Come to me."

Kairi weakly walked forward and stopped in-front of the Heartless, who reached a hand forward and ran it through Kairi's hair, almost lovingly. "How I cherish our moments together..."

Kairi screamed as the Heartless drove its other hand into her chest and squeezed her heart. "How I treasure your screams!"

Light erupted from Kairi once more, bathing the area in light, making Aqua's Heartless hiss in pain. "Glorious!"

Kairi suffered through another few squeezes, despite how much she wanted to hold back her cries, against that kind of pain, it felt impossible. Finally, the Heartless lifted her up and tossed her aside. Kairi hit the ground and curled into a ball, sobbing.

"Hmm," murmured Aqua's Heartless, rubbing her forehead, "Aqua and the witch, Maleficent, spent much time gaining knowledge from Xehanort's stolen books, and training within the Realm of Darkness..."

The Heartless grinned. "Oh, there's so much knowledge and abilities to put to the test."

She glanced down at Kairi and knelt down, petting her hair. "Fret not, I don't think it will be much longer Kairi. Soon, I'll have all I need, then, we can be together. I'll take your heart into me like the rest, and there, you can sleep forever, reunited with your Master."

With that, she rose to her feet, formed a Dark Corridor, and left.

Sora rushed over and knelt down next to Kairi, offering her a glowing hand. "Kairi... I'm sorry..., please, take all that you need."

Kairi sobbed and latched onto his hand, draining all the light he offered to try and take the pain away. The three paladins came forward and offered her their light as well. For a time, none of them moved, simply letting Kairi try and mend herself.

Finally, Kairi took a ragged breath and sat up, sniffling. "I... I hate that thing so much..."

"It's a beast, a defilement of anything natural," spat Arthas.

"I'll admit, it's the first time I've actually seen the presence with my own eyes," said Uther, "I always thought it would be more... monstrous looking, rather than being a woman..."

"Hmph, more treacherous and painful is the foe who resembles you or those you know," said Alexandrous, "I know that personally from my son's betrayal."

"That's what I hate about it," said Kairi sorely, "It... it used to be a person, it used to be... be... Master Aqua... before she sacrificed herself and was consumed by darkness."

She bowed her head. "I don't think I'll ever be able to think of my Master without seeing that thing's gleeful face as it hurts me, and remembering that pain. That's why I hate it so much, even beyond the torture, it... it ruins the memory of my Master for me..."

There was a heavy silence before Kairi sighed and shakily rose to her feet. "C-c'mon Sora... we have to keep moving, keep searching for Kingdom Hearts."

"Kairi, you really should rest," said Sora softly.

"I... I'll sleep on the glider," was her reply.

Sora gave her a sigh of frustration before summoning his glider, helping her on, saying goodbye to the paladins, and taking off into the Lanes Between...


	22. Prime Evil

Kairi woke up as they set down in the next world. She yawned and stretched, rubbing her chest over her heart tenderly. Still hurt a bit, but, it was manageable. She frowned, looking around. They were in Tristram... ugh... she hoped she wasn't going to have to deal with Aidan...

"There's not much darkness here," she pointed out.

"That's true, but...," said Sora, slowly trailing off, an uncomfortable look crossing his face.

"But what?" asked Kairi.

"But... we might be able to get a hint or clue here," said Sora, "I'm pretty certain on that."

"Okay," said Kairi.

She followed him into the Tristram tavern. Nothing had really changed, except maybe the spots where a few people were sitting. She had hoped Sora was simply going to go to the Paladin and Xul, instead, he made straight for Aidan's table, the man was alone today, the witch and his child gone. Kairi ground her teeth and followed Sora, trying her best to combat the uneasy fearful feeling growing as they neared.

The robbed man glanced up at them, amused. "So, the little Keybearers approach. To what, do I owe this visit?"

"You told me once... that your really old, from the age of fairy tales," said Sora slowly.

Kairi gave a start. "What? Your joking, right?"

Aidan snorted. "Why would he be? I am ancient, child, far older than you can believe."

"The stories my grandma told me, that time was when the worlds were connected and filled with nothing but light," she hissed at him, "You, are _NOT_ light."

Aidan threw back his head and laughed. "Is that so? Foolish child, you are a Keybearer, are you not? You know the legends of your kind, of the Kye-Blade, correct?"

"The X-Blade? a bit," she said, a bit confused by his pronunciation.

Aidan leaned forward. "What was the Kye-Blade composed of?"

Kairi blinked a few times. "Uh..."

"Light and darkness," said Sora.

Aidan nodded. "Correct. That alone proves the falsehood of the lies you were fed. While I admit, the worlds back then were unfortunately a more 'pleasant' place for you mortals, the darkness and the light were kept in a more unified balance thanks to Kingdom Hearts and the Kye-Blade, it still had it's own share of darkness and evil. You are a fool to believe otherwise. My brothers and I are more than proof of that, or they would be if they were still around."

This guy had brothers?

"What, do you know of Kingdom Hearts?" asked Sora, "Do you have any idea where it is?"

Aidan stared at him critically. "Even I am not so foolish as to chase after that power. Do you truly seek to re-awaken the Keyblade War? It was an annoyance the first time around."

"You say that as if...," began Kairi.

"As if I were there for it? Because I was, or rather, the portion of it that spilled into our world," said Aidan with disdain, "I enjoy a good slaughter as much as the next demon, but we could not drag the souls of Keybearers down to hell, the whole thing was a waste of time."

"Demon...?" she questioned.

Aidan grinned. "That's right, we haven't been properly introduced yet have we?"

"We're not here for that," said Sora.

"Oh, but I think it's long past due, in fact, the girl seems far stronger than the last time you we here," said Aidan, "Tell you what, let's make a bet."

Aidan's eyes glowed orange with fire. "The girl and I will go on a... sweep of the surrounding woodlands while you stay here, boy. If she impresses me, bests me in the slaughter of Heartless, and I'll tell you what I know of Kingdom Hearts."

Aidan grinned, his pointed teeth glistening in the tavern light. "And if she loses, she spends a week within my Realm of Terror, sating my appetite for fear."

He turned to look at Kairi. "Do you accept?"

"Your on," she said.

"Uh... Kairi...," said Sora with extreme unease.

Aidan rose to his feet. "Then let us be on our way."

Sora latched onto Kairi's arm, hissing out. "Kairi! What the heck are you doing?! You don't make a bet with a demon, _ESPECIALLY_ that one!"

Kairi pulled away. "I can handle myself."

"Not if he tosses you in that place for a week you can't," said Sora, "Kairi, cut loose. Don't you dare hold back at all, even for the weaker Heartless. You _HAVE_ to win the bet!"

Kairi walked away, following Aidan out of the tavern. They moved to the edge of town before Aidan paused.

"I suppose then, it's time to show you who I really am," said Aidan with amusement, chuckling darkly.

"Huh?" she said.

Aidan pulled his hood back and began screaming, the veins, his skin twisting and warping, blood running out of holes in his face. Kairi took a shocked step back as he fell to his knees and pitched forward, using his arms to keep himself from collapsing, his hood falling back to cover his head. Underneath his cloak along his back, it began to bubble and warp, the sickening sound of ripping flesh was heard. Spikes blew out of the cloak in a stream of orange light. The man, no, the demons form increased in size as the cloak ripped apart and 'Aidan' stood up on two legs, revealing his true form as he tossed the tatters aside.

He was huge, towering twice as tall as a man, with red skin with a pale-tan underbelly. His arms and legs were ripped, muscular to an inane degree. All along his back, and long tail, were spikes. His head had three horns, two to the opposite sides of his face that curved forward, and one out of his chin. His hands and feet were clawed, sharp and dangerous. His presence was terrifying and foul, evil to a degree that was hard for anyone to match, she wasn't sure even Xehanort was as foul as this thing was, even Aqua's Heartless was hard pressed to stay ahead of this... this demon...

It turned towards her and stalked forward, the ground trembling with each step. Kairi fell back and onto her butt, gave off a scream, and crawled backwards fearfully until her back hit a building.

The demon leaned down to her, smoke and orange fire rising out of it's mouth as it spoke. "I am Diablo, Lord of Terror, and the last remaining Prime Evil."

He pulled back and grinned down at her. "I'm looking forward to using your fear to tear you apart in the coming week, little Keybearer."

Kairi trembled before the fearsome form, shocked and terrified.

"Are you unable to even rise?" mocked Diablo, "It would seem my victory in our little bet is all but assured."

Kairi blinked a few times, breathing in and out rapidly, before she rose to her feet. "Y-y-your n-n-not winning!"

Diablo grinned. "We shall see, won't we? I give us... five hours... to play out our little game."

Diablo turned and strode off, the ground trembling and shaking in his wake. Kairi gulped and walked after him, her body shivering at being close to such an awful evil.

The first group of Heartless appeared as they left the town and strode into open fields. Kairi raised her Keyblade, ready to fight, only for Diablo to casually raise a hand and unleash red lightning from it, decimating the group without effort. "I believe that's ten for me, zero for you."

Kairi bristled. "W-were just getting started."

"Then let's get underway," said Diablo, leaning down to run on all fours at incredible speeds, "And don't try to lie on your numbers, I can feel them as they die, I will know who had the greater count by the end."

Kairi swore, took a deep breath, and pulled out as much of her light as she could. Sora was right, if she didn't cut loose, she was going to lose, Diablo was _MUCH_ more powerful than she had thought when she knew him as Aidan. She ran after him, empowered by her light, and tore into the nearest group of Heartless that appeared.

To her extreme aggravation, Diablo used far reaching and powerful abilities. His lightning, a circle of fire that went in all directions, and a wall of fire among other things. Kairi was a bit... confused... how his abilities didn't hurt her when they passed over her, but, she went with it. She forced herself to fight through her terror of the demon and fight closer to it, if she didn't she knew they'd be getting _much more_ acquainted in the coming week. Her best bet she found was to spam Stock Break and Salvation, trying to clear as many Heartless in as wide an area as she could.

Seeing him fight though... she was _VERY_ glad there was a pact keeping them 'allied' for the time being. Because he would probably beat her into the ground... maybe... it might just be her fear talking. She knew he was incredibly powerful, but, Xehanort * _might_ * have been stronger than the demon and she had fought him willingly even though he was stronger, it was hard to tell. Not to mention Aqua's Heartless crushed both of them no contest in terms of strength.

She frowned in thought, struggling through the terror he was radiating. It was as if his mere presence was igniting the fear, he hadn't personally taken any action towards her to encourage it, though, keeping a bit of fear towards him was probably a smart idea for self-preservation purposes. She had an idea, and took a bit of her energy to block off her senses of the demon and try to shield herself. Instantly, the waves of terror going through her subsided, relieving her immensely. She threw herself back into the action, running ahead of the demon fearlessly.

Diablo scoffed. "Oh? Overcome your fear of me have you?"

Kairi ignored his mocking and sonic bladed ahead, trying to put some distance between the two and take more of the Heartless on herself. Diablo demonically laughed, not phased in the slightest by her newfound bravery, and charged into the fray. They tore into the heartless for hours, making their way northward. It occurred to Kairi, how _odd_ it was, for a pure light, and a pure evil like Diablo, to be fighting alongside one another...

"Only in the wake of a Heartless apocalypse," she muttered.

"An hour remains," called out Diablo, "Let us finish in the church."

She paused to look at him. "Church? Why would the Heartless go into such a place?"

Diablo grinned. "A desecrated church is a place where evil and darkness thrive, little Keybearer."

Kairi rolled her eyes and followed him. The most annoying thing when fighting alongside, or following Diablo, were the tremors he made go through the ground. It was obnoxiously difficult to keep her balance. They moved passed a graveyard, annihilating a few heartless, before entering the church, Diablo ducking down to fit through the doors. Kairi's stomach twisted as they entered, sighting bloodstains and skeletons laying about as they moved into a large circular opening room.

"The church continues for a ways underground," explained Diablo, "In the depths of the catacombs awaits the strongest of the Heartless here."

The demon strode off, and Kairi made to follow...

_WARP_

Kairi froze, recognizing that sound. _Please_ not now...

She turned, but instead of seeing Aqua's Heartless walking through a Dark Corridor, a man with a black cloak was right in front of her...

Kairi gave a startled yelp as the man walked and phased right through her. In a flash, memories of her life played across her mind before the man crossed through. Kairi fell back and landed on her butt.

She scrambled to her feet, turning around. "What the hell was that?!"

The man chuckled emptily. "I merely sampled you memories as requested by the Superior."

Kairi stared blankly at him. "Sampled my memories...? Wait... that voice... Marluxia?"

Diablo paused his walking and turned to glare at the cloaked man, at Marluxia nostrils flaring fire. "Begone little pest of nothingness, you're interrupting our little game."

Marluxia held a hand over his head, summoning his scythe. "I care not for such a trifling matter. I have a sample of her memories, now, I need a sample of her fighting abilities, and you would be wise to stand back, _little demon_."

Kairi grew baffled. Why in the world did he, did the Organization he worked for, want a sample of her memories and fighting ability?

Diablo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "A change of plans little Keybearer, the one who kills this fool wins our game."

Kairi was hesitant to actually fight a member of the Organization. She wasn't sure she wanted to actually cause a rift. She didn't know anything about them aside from their desire to reclaim their hearts. Marluxia might be an ass, but, Vexen had been helpful...

But...

The fact that they wanted her memories and fighting ability confused and slightly alarmed her. She was having... doubts... about their intentions...

Either way, to late for second guesses. Diablo rushed forward and aimed a hand at Marluxia, cold energy ripping out of his palm. Marluxia vanished and reappeared behind Diablo, slashing his back and then kicking the back of his head, sending Diablo staggering. The Nobody teleported to Kairi and swung his scythe.

Okay, decision _REALLY_ taken out of her hands. She raised her Keyblade and deflected the blow before countering, slashing her Keyblade across his cloaked chest.

Marluxia sprang back and spun his scythe through the air. "Hmm, interesting. It hasn't been more than a few days since we last fought, yet your strength has grown tremendously."

Kairi grumbled aloud, "Well, guess Aqua's Heartless was right, though, no increase in power is worth _THAT_ pain."

_CRACKLE_

Red lightning washed over Marluxia, sending him staggering through the air, hissing in pain. Diablo charged forward and elbowed the Nobody, sending him flying and into the wall, cracking it. Marluxia glared at the demon and aimed a hand at him. Kairi's eyes went wide as the Assasin's Mark wrapped around Diablo, and the number forty-nine appeared over his head.

Diablo glanced up at it, annoyed, before turning to glare right back at the Nobody. "Pest, do you truly think such magic will work on me?"

"Shall we find out?" mocked Marluxia, "I'm going to have to remove you before I can get any solid data on her."

Diablo growled deeply. "I am not something to be ignored and cast aside for another. I will make you tremble before my terror."

"The problem with that, _little demon_ , is that I lack a heart to feel terror," said Marluxia with fake amusement.

The room around them darkened, a storm of rose petals filled the air. Kairi tensed as immense energy filled the air. This time around, there was no Aqua's Nobody to give the man pause. Energy erupted underneath Diablo over and over again, and as big and bulky as he was, he couldn't get out of the way in time. Marluxia swung his scythe down at the demon, it spun around him, slicing into Diablo over and over again, the assassin's count dropping rapidly. He finished with a kick, dropping Diablo's count down to zero, and slammed the demon into the wall.

Energy of nothingness wrapped around the demon, trying to devour it whole. Diablo roared and bucked, holding off the energy, growling with frustration. Marluxia flicked his wrist, and rather than use the energy to try and kill the demon, it instead bound it to the wall.

Diablo glared furiously at Marluxia before struggling to aim a hand at Kairi, to her confusion. "I will not suffer this fool, kill him!"

To her surprise, her Keyblade was engulfed in fire. She only hesitated for a second before charging at Marluxia, swinging her Keyblade rapidly. She forced him back briefly, fire bursting from her Keyblade with each attack. Marluxia leaped overhead, swinging his scythe down at her. Kairi ducked, spun, and countered, slashing into his chest. Marluxia hissed in pain but didn't stop, he swept her legs out from under her and booted her stomach, sending her crashing to the floor. She rolled and leaped back up, light screaming around her Keyblade.

"Shock!" she roared, unleashing a blast of light at him.

To her surprise, the man actually avoided it, teleporting at the last second as the explosion began. He appeared next to her, grabbed her shoulder, and leaned towards her ear, reading to whisper nothingness into her ear and start his count. Kairi's hand lashed out, grabbing his face and blocking his mouth, taking him by surprise. She grabbed his shoulder with her other hand, spun, and threw him back and towards the floor. He held out a hand, planted it on the floor, and shoved off into the air. He swung his scythe in her direction, releasing a wave of dark pink energy. Kairi swung Oathkeeper and severed the energy wave in half, glaring at him as he touched down on the floor.

She ran and leapt at him, her Keyblade shinning with light, extinguishing Diablo's fire in favor of it. "Stock Break!"

_WARP_

Kairi seethed in anger as he teleported out of the way as her Keyblade smashed into the ground and released a burst of light. "Coward!"

Marluxia appeared a ways away, resting his scythe on his shoulder, and slowly shaking his head. "Is this all you can do? Replicate other people's techniques? Where are your own abilities? You're a warrior Princess of Heart, are you not? You should be capable of feats of light beyond anything normal people are able to perform. Yet, having watched you since coming to this world, you do nothing but use other's powers and abilities."

Kairi frowned at him, a little peeved he _might_ actually have a point, and flexed her grip on her Keyblade. "Well excuse me if I haven't exactly had a chance to experiment and develop my own techniques, it's not like there's a heartless apocalypse going on that eats up all my time or anything."

"Hmph," replied Marluxia, raising his scythe into the air, "I suggest you change that. Unless you manage to impress me, you're leaving here short a limb, if you leave at all."

Marluxia slammed the staff part of his scythe into the ground, and three huge pools of dark pink energy coated the floor around him. Kairi screamed as one of the edges clipped her. It burned to stand on it. She scrambled and threw herself to what little part of the room wasn't covered by the goop. She glanced around nervously, there wasn't a lot of space to fight...

Marluxia teleported to her and began swinging his scythe rapidly. Kairi scrambled to parry aside the blows, backing up until she bumped into a wall. She ducked under a scythe swing that could have decapitated her, and bum rushed forward, slamming her elbow into his stomach and driving him back. However, her used her momentum against her, twisting to let her pass him and then grabbing her arm and stomach armor, throwing her forward and straight into the middle of one of the dark pink energy pools. She hit it and screamed in pain as the energy tore at her, thorns reaching up to wrap around her and try to drag her into its depths.

"Is this all? I'm disappointed," mocked Marluxia, walking up to her and kicking her Keyblade out of her hands.

He knelt down in-front of her and grabbed her face. "Last chance Princess, impress me, show me something _you_ , or die."

Kairi struggled to think through pain and panic. What the hell did she actually know how to do outside of what she had learned from the Masters, Beatrix, and the paladins? She... knew how to cast Pearl? Well, screw it, lets see what happened if she put all her power into that spell.

Viscous light rippled out of Kairi, banishing the dark pink energy pool, and sending Marluxia staggering back. Kairi rose to her feet, crossed her arms infront of her, gathering energy, and threw them to the sky, yelling with power. Dozens upon dozens of Pearl spells ripped out of Kairi in all directions before she aimed a hand at Marluxia and directed them all towards him. The Nobody's eyes went wide with surprise as they spells all surged at him. He held out a hand before him, glowing with dark pink energy, a barrier forming around him.

_BOOM!_

The spells all barreled into him and exploded in a massive burst of light.

"How... do you like... that?" huffed out Kairi, exhausted, "I'll call that one... Pearlstorm."

"Adequate I suppose," came Marluxia's voice behind her.

Kairi spun, shocked. "Wha...?"

Marluxia booted her chest, sending her crashing to the floor. "I teleported out of the way at the last second as they started exploding."

"I... really hate... people teleporting," she spat out tiredly.

Marluxia chuckled. "It is quite the most useful ability, you'll find that..."

_WHAM!_

Marluxia crashed to the floor, _HARD_ , as Diablo came behind him and two-hand smashed his back. "I warned you, little pest, that I was not to be ignored."

The demon stomped a foot onto the Nobody's back, eliciting a pained yelp, and aimed a hand at him, releasing red lightning point blank...

_WARP_

Marluxia teleported out from under him, re-appearing on the other side of the church, dusting himself off. "I suppose that will do. I'm not going to attain anymore data from a worn out girl, especially with a little demon pest annoying me."

Diablo growled darkly and went to all fours, charging at him.

Marluxia glanced at Kairi briefly, a grin on his face. "Still, you have much potential child. I might be just following the Superior's orders for the moment, but, I cannot personally wait for Vexen's little ' _puppet_ ' project to bear fruition. You will be all I need to make my move..."

Marluxia disappeared through a Dark Corridor just before Diablo could reach him. The demon gave a roar of frustration, and smashed a fist into the floor. He rose to his feet and glanced around, looking for the Nobody, but this time, he didn't reappear. Diablo scowled and walked over to Kairi, glaring down at her.

"What?" she said, scowling right back.

The demon reached down and grabbed the back of her armor, lifting her up and taking her out of the church like she was a bag to be carried. He stalked back to town and the tavern before tossing her to the ground. The demon screamed, his body beginning to shrink and warp, until he re-took the form of a deformed man in a brown cloak.

Kairi rose to her feet, breathing heavily. "So... who won?"

Diablo snorted and walked into the tavern, not answering. She walked in after him, joining Sora at the table after Diablo sat down.

"So... who won?" asked Sora, echoing her question.

She looked at Diablo, who wasn't answering. "I don't think either of us won that."

"Huh?" said Sora.

"We had... outside interference," muttered Kairi.

"What? Who?" asked Sora, tense.

They were both cut off as Diablo raised a hand for silence.

"Kingdom Hearts...," began Diablo, "Was said to be lost to shadow at the end of the Keyblade War..."

"That's nothing we don't already know," said Sora.

Diablo glared at him. "Be silent boy. I am not finished."

He resumed speaking, "It was said to be lost to shadow, and departed the Realm of Light."

Kairi's eyes went wide. "What? It's not _IN_ the Realm of Light?"

Diablo shook his head. "No, the true Kingdom Hearts, was swallowed by darkness at the end of the Keyblade War, and fell into the Realm of Darkness. If the Heart of All Worlds is what you seek, then into utter darkness you must tread."

Diablo leaned forward, grinning. "Finding a way into the Dark Realm, and surviving it, will be most challenging. I look forward to hearing tales of your death from your Masters the next time they visit."

Kairi glared at him. "We'll show you, demon. We'll find Kingdom Hearts, destroy the Heartless, and come back to rub it in your face."

Diablo laughed. "By all means, do so. Either way, I end up ahead."

Kairi rose from the table and left, Sora trailing after her.

She crossed her arms in thought before pausing, a grin spreading across her face. "He said it would be hard to get into the Realm of Darkness, but he's wrong."

Sora blinked a few times. "Huh?"

"C'mon, we're going to Alexandria!" she shouted, summoning her Keyblade Glider and taking off into the Lands Between, Sora scrambling to do the same...


	23. Searching for the Dark

Kairi landed in palace courtyard of Alexandria, leaping off and dismissing her glider. Sora landed a bit away from her, dismissing his armor and glider. She could admit, she had been a bit fearful on the trip over. She had no idea what had happened to this world after she had first run into Aqua's Heartless. She was relieved to see the place still intact, and it's people still alive, albeit, still as tired and exhausted looking as always. Speaking of people...

General Beatrix was trotting over to them, an annoyed look on her face. "I was wondering if you two were going to show up here or not."

Kairi blinked a few times. "Huh?"

Beatrix pulled out a glowing purple communications crystal and spoke into it, "They're here."

Oh dammit...

Beatrix stared at the crystal for a moment before holding it out to Kairi. "They wish to speak to you."

"I have nothing to say to _them_ ," she spat, "I'm not going back to the Masters, and that's final."

Beatrix frowned. "Kairi, they're concerned for you and Sora..."

"See if I care, we're here actually _DOING_ something," said Kairi with conviction, "Were going to destroy Aqua's Heartless. There's a tear here, right? In the mist? Leading to the Realm of Darkness?"

Beatrix's eyebrows furrowed. "Yes, but what does that have to with destroying **_IT_**?"

"Kingdom Hearts lies trapped in the Realm of Darkness, it's our only chance to stop Aqua's Heartless," said Kairi, "Nothing else is strong enough anymore. Either we find it, or it's over, she'll consume the entirety of the Realm of Light."

Beatrix's eyes went wide. "What? You're going to try to go into the Realm of Darkness, alone?!"

Kairi scoffed. "I could handle it, but anyway, I have Sora here with me."

"Kairi...," mumbled Sora, "I... can't go with you."

Kairi blinked a few times. "Huh?"

"That mist, it will consume anyone who has darkness in their hearts, only a heart of pure light like yours could pass through," said Sora meekly, "I... can't follow you in."

Kairi went silent at that. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but, she had… really… started to grow comfortable with Sora having her back all the time, always being there if she needed him. The thought of going it alone actually made her a bit uneasy…

But…

She'd do what she had to do. It's what Master Aqua would have done. "It's fine."

"I think you should reconsider Kairi," said Beatrix, still holding out the crystal, "Talk to your Masters, they may have some other solution or idea."

"Yeah, like locking me away and never letting me go," she spat, re-summoning her glider and stepping onto it.

"Go full armor Kairi, every bit will help," offered Sora.

Kairi rolled her eyes but summoned her helmet and put it on her head. Gah, she hated this stuffy little thing. How did people function with such a tiny view?

She nodded to Sora. "I'll find Kingdom Hearts, I swear I will, and, I'll make everything right."

Sora gave her a thumbs up. "I know you will."

Kairi lifted her Glider into the air and shot off out of Alexandria, making for the dark mist out beyond the plains…

* * *

Sora watched her go, his heart heavy. "Good luck Kairi…"

Beatrix sighed, walked over, and handed the crystal to Sora. "Here."

Sora took the crystal and sighed, predicting one heck of an earful he was about to get. "Hello?"

" _Sora_!" came Ven's relieved voice, " _Thank the light you and Kairi are okay!"_

Sora scratched his head. "Umm…"

" _Sora, look, please tell Kairi the others are sorry, we argued it out and…_ ," began Ven.

"Kind of late for that," said Sora.

" _What? Why_?" asked Ven.

"Uh, she's on her way to the tear in Alexandria to cross over into the Realm of Darkness," said Sora.

There was silence for a moment.

" _SHE'S WHAT?!_ " exclaimed Ven, " _Sora! Stop her!_ "

"It's the only way Ven, we have to find Kingdom Hearts to stop Aqua's Heartless," said Sora, "It's in the Realm of Darkness."

" _Kingdom Hear… no forget that for now,_ _Sora, go, NOW_ ," ordered Ven.

"Do you not understand? I just said…," began Sora.

" _No, you DON'T understand! That tear, she can't pass through that!_ " exclaimed Ven, " _It'll kill her to even try! I was there when it formed, that's not a natural pathway, it's chaotic, dark, and unstable, nothing human could survive that! It'll tear her apart!"_

Sora's heart skipped a beat. "Oh no… KAIRI!"

Sora dropped the crystal summoned his glider, and took off at top speeds, desperately racing off after Kairi. He saw her faintly, off in the distance, closing in on the mist…

No no no no no!

He watched, helplessly, as she passed into it and out of his reach. Even in his armor, he wouldn't last half a minute before the dark mist tore him apart...

Sora touched down outside the mist, fell to his knees, and slammed a fist into the ground before screaming, "KAIRI!"

* * *

Even in her armor, Kairi couldn't help but gag at the overwhelming stench and sensation of darkness. This mist was unnatural, almost like the kind that had come for them in Traverse Town for their final stand. It tore at her, trying to sap her strength and light. She focused her energy and coated herself in an aura of light, shielding herself.

She flew through the mist a bit aimlessly. It occurred to her she had never asked which direction to go in. Not to mention, it was damn near impossible to see. Still, there was one thing guiding her at the moment, the sensation of immense and unstable darkness off in the distance. She locked in on that and flew off after it.

Far below her on the ground, she could detect hordes of Heartless. She was _very_ glad she was skipping them, because out here in the black mist, was _FAR_ worse than the Eastern Shadowlands had been. Getting tangled in that mess would see her heart stolen faster than she could blink.

Though, she was a bit curious, what exactly would happen to a heart of pure light if a heartless stole it? She didn't exactly want to find out, but, if she couldn't turn into heartless, what happened? Did they just sit in the gut of a heartless or what? Could a creature of darkness even handle so pure a light?

She shrugged the thought off and focused on flying, keeping high in the air as to avoid obstacles. Heartless aside, ramming into a tree would probably hurt pretty bad. Erm… what about mountains though? Better fly a bit higher…

Kairi grew restless as time passed, just how far was this… wait, was that the sound of water? Was she flying over an ocean or something? She groaned and put on speed, what she thought was another hour passing her by. It was hard to tell time when trapped in such a darkness, there was no indication of day or night, not to mention no clocks.

Finally, she drew closer and closer to the source of the unstable darkness. To her surprise, it actually got a bit easier to see as she came to it. It was a huge tear, like an orb of orange and black light, above a weird gigantic tree. The tree itself though, there was... something unnatural and unsettling about it. The bottom of it had hordes of above ground roots going off farther than she could see along the ground. The top of it was almost a dome like moss covered wooden structure rather than a treetop. The way the darkened greenery hung off the top of the tree almost seemed sickly. On top of all that... the mist itself... was rising out of the roots of the tree.

"The tree and the tear... they're what's making the mist," Kairi murmured into her helmet.

Kairi came to a stop a bit away from the tree, contemplating her decision. To be frank... she held little doubts of what the Realm of Darkness would be like. It would probably be far worse than the dark mist she was in now, hordes of Heartless and who knows what else in there. If she wanted to be realistic... there was a high chance she wasn't going to be coming back when she went in. If she didn't destroy the tree and the tear on her way through, no one else could get through the mist to do so.

That... however meant... destroying her only route back out of the Realm of Darkness and giving up on even the slimmest hope of making it back out. She didn't like considering it a suicide mission, but, if she wanted to be honest, that's what it probably would be anyway...

She sighed heavily into her helmet. "Sora... I'm gonna miss you, please don't be sad..."

She started her glider forward and at the same time aimed a hand down at the tree's base, channeling a heavy amount of light. One good blast ought to cause the whole thing to topple over. She released the blast and surged for the tear...

_ROAR_

Kairi gave a startled yelp when a black and silvery dragon flew past her towards the blast of light at insane speeds, colliding with it and causing the blast to explode before it could hit the tree. Kairi pulled her glider to a stop and swore into her helmet. Where the heck had that thing come from?

Even worse...

It survived that blast?!

Kairi stared at the dragon, a heartless dragon to be precise. Its body was black and silver, covered in scaly armor. It's nose was strangely elongated. Its wings though, were an huge and odd majestic white with red tips, almost like blades. Though, where her blast had hit charred it pretty bad. Considering its bizarre action to take one for the tree, it was probably a guardian of it. It reeked of power, not even as close to as strong as the Demon Tide they had fought in Lordaeran, but unlike there, she was alone.

Not to mention uh...

She had never been trained on aerial Keyblade Glider combat...

The dragon roared and flew at her quickly. Kairi summoned her Keyblade, ready to try and fight...

Only to give a startled scream and plummet as her Glider disappeared. Riiiight, the glider was her Keyblade, couldn't wield it and fly at the same time...

Oddly enough, the mistake did save her from getting rammed. She re-summoned her glider and flew towards the tree, putting some distance between herself and the dragon while casting pearl spells back at it. The dragon barreled through the lesser light spells and closed in, raking a wing at her. Kairi pulled on her glider, barely diving down and out of the way. She closed the distance to the tree and started making sharp turns, keeping it between her and the dragon as best as she could. She started channeling her light, getting ready to pump a bit more energy into her next attack than normal...

She abruptly made and about face and flew back the way she came, right at the dragon, and cried out, "Shock!"

Light exploded around her and burst into the dragon, making it scream and tumble through the air. It was to soon to cry victory though, now, it looked really pissed. It flapped its wings towards her and unleashed a burst of energy that rushed forward. Kairi gave a pained yelp as she was blown off her glider and slammed so hard into the tree she made an indent.

She sat in the indent blankly and rigidly for a moment before releasing a breath. "Oww..."

She refocused as the dragon came flying forward, raising a claw to slash her with. She leaped off the tree, over the slash, and onto the dragon's back, stabbing her Keyblade down into it. The dragon screamed and began to roll through the air and try to throw her off. Kairi hung on for dear life, but started regretting it as her world starting spinning, right along with her stomach. Oh... oooh... stomach... guhhhh...

Okay, forget this, she was _NOT_ throwing up in her helmet. She let go of the Keyblade and started to fall, only for one of the spinning dragon's wings to smash into her, sending her flying and screaming through the air. She willed her Keyblade back to her and resummoned her glider, clinging to it for dear life and praying for her world to _stop spinning_ sometime soon...

_ROAR_

Oh come on...

Kairi closed her eyes and simply forced her glider down, hoping she was dodging and not ramming into the tree. She could not bear to even open her eyes without risking tossing everything in her stomach at the moment. She kept flying in random directions and making abrupt turns, often feeling the dragon rake the air very close to her. Finally, she opened her eyes, stomach settled a bit, and glanced around...

"OH JEEZ!" she squealed, sighting the dragon right behind her.

She aimed a hand behind her and fired pearl spells off in its face. The dragon roared and flapped it's wings, releasing a burst of blue energy that burned into her armor, making her hiss in pain. It surged at her and readied a claw to rip her to shreds. Kairi took a risk and dismissed her glider, falling through the air as it tried to slash her. She grabbed out onto one of its feet, latching on before summoning her Keyblade and driving it through its leg.

The dragon roared and curled up, bringing its leg close to its mouth. The dragon opened its maw, and a sphere of black energy formed, ready to blast Kairi point blank.

Kairi withdrew her Keyblade from its lag and stabbed the sphere of energy, screaming, "LIGHT!"

_BOOM!_

Kairi was thrown from the dragon as a massive explosion of light and darkness ruptured the air. She spun through the air before summoning her glider. She looked back up, only to see what remained of the dragon's lower body plummeting to the ground as its consumed heart left its body. Damn...

"Note to self, when darkness and light explode together, it does a _LOT_ of damage," she said.

Well... that had been... fun? Yeah no, she didn't want to do that again anytime soon. Let her keep her legs planted firmly on the ground, aerial combat was _not_ something she enjoyed. She shook her head and aimed a hand at the tree base again, releasing a burst of light at it before charging to tear once more...

_WARP_

Only for Aqua's Heartless to appear out of a Dark Corridor midair, grab Kairi by her throat, and rip her off the glider, kicking it away.

Kairi's eyes went wide with panic as the Heartless held her, levitating so close to the portal. No no no no no! Not now! She had been so close!

The Heartless glared full force at her. "You know, Kairi, when I stopped Xehanort from killing you, I thought I made it a point where your life belongs to me. No one is allowed to kill you, and that includes you killing yourself."

Kairi stared at her blankly.

The Heartless pointed to the portal. "That, would have torn you to shreds. If you really wanted to end your own life, there are quicker, and much less painful ways to have gone about it, especially ones where I wouldn't have been able to stop you in time."

Kairi's face paled. Was... was the Heartless telling the truth?

"Or was that your intention?" asked the Heartless, looking a bit baffled, "What in the world did you intend to do by diving into that?"

_CREAK! GROAN!_

They both glanced down to see cracks ripping up the tree from Kairi's blast, starting to topple it over. It fell over, the tear following, and slammed into the ground.

_BOOM!_

Kairi screamed as the tear exploded, turning the entire area pitch black with darkness. Slowly, the darkness dissipated, and the mist began to thin out.

The Heartless sighed. "What a waste, oh well."

The Heartless slowly levitated them to the corpse of the tree and then threw Kairi to the ground where she hit and skidded along a bit. Slowly, the Heartless stalked forward, eyeing Kairi's chest, her heart, hungrily.

Kairi rose to her feet, summoning her Keyblade. "Y-you stay the hell away from me!"

"What makes you think you have a choice in the matter?" mocked Aqua's Heartless, "I saved your life, I think I'm owed some compensation for my efforts, not that I need a reason to begin with."

Kairi panicked and swung Oathkeeper at the Heartless, only for her to raise a palm and catch it in her bare hand.

_HISS_

The Heartless's hand smoked, holding contact with the Keyblade, but didn't seem disgruntled. She pulled Kairi forward and then thrust her other hand into Kairi's chest, grabbing her heart and electing a horrific scream from the girl. The Heartless threw Kairi's Keyblade away, and wrapped her other arm around the girl, pulling her in close, almost like a hug, a terrifying, painful, torturous hug...

She purred into Kairi's ear. "I'm so close Kairi, I know it, I feel it. There are so few gaps left in Aqua's memories. If this doesn't awaken what's left, then, we'll only need do this one more time. So scream for me child..."

* * *

Sora flew through the dissipating mist as fast as he could. On one hand, he was immensely relived to still feel Kairi's light in the world, it let her know she hadn't gotten herself killed through their mistake. And it _WAS_ his mistake too, he should have asked about that tear more indepth a long time ago. On the other hand, he felt Aqua's Heartless, he figured she had probably saved Kairi's life.

But...

He also knew what the price of that would be.

A few hours of flying later, he touched down a bit from Kairi's collapsed form, and Aqua's Heartless, who seemed lost in thought. He hesitated only briefly before rushing over to Kairi and shaking her.

"Kairi? Kairi!" he said in a panic.

"She angered me in her apparent suicide attempt," muttered the Heartless, "I may have been a bit rough in our session today."

Sora glared at her, fists clenched. "You..."

The Heartless ignored him, rubbing her forehead, a lost look on her face. "What... is the purpose of these memories? Why did Aqua waste all that time with those two boys?"

Sora gave her a confused look.

The Heartless shook her head and waved a hand. "Go, she'll need the other Princesses again I assume. It wasn't nearly as bad as our first session, but I'd rather not wait a few days for the key to my memories to regain consciousness and heal her heart. Such a weak and trifling thing, the heart is."

"She's... she's not something you can just use like that!" Sora yelled at the Heartless, "She's a person! With thoughts and feelings of her own! Do you... do you even understand what you're doing to her?!"

The Heartless ignored him and turned, summoning a Dark Corridor. "These memories... what is the point? I need to... process them..."

Sora watched the addled Heartless go before shaking his head and lifting Kairi up, putting her on his glider. "I'm sorry Kairi... I... I hate what she does to you, I wish I could make her stop, every time I see you in such pain, I wish I could take it all away. And... I'm sorry, but she is right. I need to get you to the Princess... forgive me for taking you back there..."

With a heavy sigh, he grabbed his own communication crystal from his pocket, said, "We're on our way back, get the Princesses ready, Kairi's in rough shape," and took off into the Lanes Between.

Hopefully, she'd forgive him when he told her what he had learned talking with the Masters while she was out in the mist. The tear might not have worked, but...

There was one option left...

One door left...


	24. The Last Chance

Kairi groaned and stirred, coming to, finding herself on a rather nice and comfy bed...

Wait...

Why was she back in the Land of Departure and in her room!?

"Hey Kairi," came a soft voice, "I'm glad to see you awake."

She turned to see Sora, put the dots together, and glared at him full force. "Why did you bring me back here?!"

"You needed the Princesses's help," he mumbled, "Sorry."

"They're going to imprison me here Sora!" she exclaimed.

"No, no they're not," he said, "Ven and Riku managed to talk them out of it."

She blinked a few times. "And Riku?!"

Sora smiled. "Hey, don't be like that, Riku's a really great guy and my best friend. He might not act like it, but he's got a smart head on his shoulders, and a good heart..."

"I heard that Sora!" came a voice from outside the room.

Sora grinned and called out. "I deny everything!"

Kairi stared at him for a moment before sighing, resisting the urge to giggle at his foolishness. "You're... really something Sora."

"Get yourselves ready, the Master's want to discuss our course of action as soon as possible," called in Riku before walking away.

Kairi frowned. "Course of action? What options do we have left?"

Sora licked his lips and hesitated. "Have... you ever heard of the Door to Darkness?"

Kairi shook her head. "Don't think so, what is it?"

"I'm not really sure, the Master's mentioned it to me when I was talking to them after you left for the tear in Alexandria," he said, "It might be our ticket into the Realm of Darkness."

Kairi's eyes went wide, she was up and out of the bed instantly, rushing for the door. "Let's go then!"

She rushed down the hall, only coming to a stop outside the throne room and slowing her pace down to walk in. The Masters, Riku, and the Princess of Heart were all gathered around the thrones, talking quietly amongst themselves. Their talking ceased as Kairi came into view and approached the table.

Terra was the first to speak. "Welcome back Kairi, we are relieved to see you still in one piece."

He hesitated. "And... were..."

Kairi shook her head and interrupted. "I'm not here for an apology. What and where is the Door to Darkness?"

Terra frowned before sighing. "I told you about it, it's the door Aqua was destroying while under Xehanort's influence before she sacrificed herself."

Kairi blinked a few times. "That door?"

He nodded. "Yes. From what we know, it's a kind of gateway into the Realm of Darkness. Much of our knowledge on it is however limited. Yen Sid has not had much time to study it with our concern being primarily on the Realm of Light this last decade."

"Can we even use it though Terra?" asked Ven, "Aqua busted it up pretty bad, not to mention, we keep the barrier up to stop the darkness from the Realm of Darkness leaking into the Realm of Light. If we drop the barrier..."

Yen Sid nodded solemnly. "A great infusion from the Dark Realm may leak into ours, and the damaged door may collapse without the support of the light. However, considering the alternative is to allow Aqua's Heartless to finish consuming the Realm of Light, our hand is forced."

Mickey scratched the back of his head. "Gosh... it's bad either way."

"Where _IS_ the door?" asked Kairi.

"It's in a between world, one we call 'The End of the World'," said Terra, "It used to be a much smaller world, just a white marble like land wrapped in an endless abyss of darkness below it. But... as more and more worlds fell, it grew in size. What was left of consumed worlds seemed to rest there."

"It's a dark memory and reminder of years of failure to safeguard the light," said Eraqus heavily.

"It is also a dangerous world, teetering so close to the Realm of Darkness," warned Yen Sid.

Riku crossed his arms. "So, who's going then? This might be a one way ticket, you go into the Realm of Darkness, you might not come out. No one who isn't a volunteer should be forced to go."

Kairi stepped forward. "I am."

"Kairi...," began Terra.

"Don't you dare," she hissed at him, "I'm finishing this, I owe it to my Master to give her heart a release from that tormented existence."

"And if she's going, I'm going to," said Sora.

Terra sighed and slowly shook his head. "What are we going to do with you two?"

All at once, the rest of the Keybearers started volunteering.

Eraqus cleared his throat loudly and held up a hand for silence. "While each of us that go may increase our chances. We cannot all go. If we are successful, some of us must remain to safeguard the Realm of Light and deal with the aftermath in case those who go cannot return."

He frowned at Sora and Kairi. "I would highly prefer if the next generation is not risked in such an endeavor."

"Not an option," said Kairi thinly.

Eraqus sighed. "Kairi, we..."

He paused his words and froze.

They all froze.

The horrifically familiar and awful presence of Aqua's Heartless filled the air, emanating from outside the keep. Everyone tensed, Keyblades flashing into their hands. The Princesses exchanged worried glances.

Terra looked grim. "So, she's finally come for us then."

Slowly, Terra strode towards the entrance to the keep, the rest of them following suite. They filed out of the keep and onto the steps from it. There, in the courtyard staring up at them silently, was Aqua's Heartless, but... something seemed... off about her.

For one, the Heartless didn't even look in Kairi's direction. For two, she had an almost... soft... look on her face, if not for the ever present cruelty in her eyes, Kairi might have mistaken her for Aqua. She stared, if Kairi saw right, at...

"Terra... Ven...," said the Heartless slowly, her voice oddly soft, "I understand the memories now. They were about you two. You were her friends."

Terra frowned, glancing at Kairi briefly, before turning back towards the Heartless. "What of it? What do you want?"

Slowly, the Heartless extended her hand upwards, as if for him to come down and take it. "All the time you and Ven spent with her... I am her, her darkness, so, would you not be my friends too? Join me, succumb to darkness and then willingly take your own hearts, that way, your Heartless, your darkness, could retain human form too."

Terra glared at her. "You are out of your mind!"

Aqua's Heartless frowned intently at him. "You were her friend, were you not? Do you not wish to join her in the depths of sleep? Mine is a lonely existence, let your darkness out, give it form, and let it become my friend, as you were to her, let it come full circle."

"Like hell I will," said Terra, almost a snarl, "You... I said it before, I'll say it again. You are a mockery of everything Aqua ever was, and ever stood for. Even her friendship you now pretend to understand is a mockery, tainted and corrupted by your darkness."

"You mean by _her_ darkness," said the Heartless, her voice returning to its normal coldness, "Does it hurt Terra? To have been fighting all these years against your friend?"

Terra narrowed his eyes. "I have no more tears to shed for Aqua, I came to terms with her loss a long time ago. You are but a twisted echo of what she once was, disturbing and twisting her memory with every life you steal."

Wrath played across the Heartless's face. "So, you abandon me, and yet again, you abandon her. I have her memories, I remember when you shunned her, accused her of succumbing to her darkness in Radiant Garden..."

She licked her lips slowly. "I remember that _pain_ , even after all this time, it's still present in her heart. I dare say that only what the Master did..."

Her eyes flickered to Eraqus. "...hurt her worse."

Neither man reacted, both glaring at the Heartless. As much as the news of what happened was still new and fresh in Kairi's mind, she kept her thoughts and words to herself. Those men, and Ventus, had years to deal with their past, the Heartless's words did not phase them, or if it didn't, they didn't show it.

Her eyes flickered. "And you, Ven? Do you abandon your friend to?"

Ven glared at her. "I _NEVER_ abandoned Aqua! But... she's gone now, and you, you have _no right_ to call me that name! You are many things to me, and a friend, is not one of them!"

Rage ripped across Aqua's Heartless's face, and an aura of immense darkness began to taint the air. "Never abandoned her? _LIAR_ _!_ She fought for you not once, but twice, fully giving herself over to darkness to try and save _YOU_! First alone against Vanitas and his pet Unversed, and then against the Master. Yet both times, you looked at her _that_ way, with horror and helplessness, like she was some kind of monster!"

Ven flinched slightly, but did nothing else in response.

Aqua's Heartless growled intensely before speaking, "So be it. You all always treasured the light and your duty above your friendship with her, and now with me. Let's see how long your vaunted light lasts."

She raised a hand into the air, and released a pulse of dark energy high into the sky, out into the Lanes Between. Kairi was confused for a moment, before an _utterly horrific_ sensation ran down her spine. The darkness of space, of the Lanes Between, blackened even more. A sensation of darkness filled the skies.

"What did you do?!" screamed Kairi, terrified by the sensation.

Aqua's Heartless grinned. "My hate for all of you now far succeeds my hunger for the world's hearts. I'm letting my Heartless friends feast for once. I've unleashed them all upon the worlds. Within a few days' time, there won't _BE_ a Realm of Light anymore."

Kairi's eyes went wide with shock. Curses flew out of the other Keybearer's mouths, and the Princesses of Heart all gasped in horror.

A Dark Corridor formed behind Aqua's Heartless. "When the light fades, and you're all left alone in utter darkness. You'll beg for my friendship and deliverance, and I will deny you, like you denied _her_. You'll spend the rest of existence as mindless shadows."

The Heartless backed into the corridor and was gone...

"She's... even worse than before," muttered Ven, "Before it was instinctual heart consumption. Now? It almost seems personal."

"Because it is," said Terra grimly, "She now has access to Aqua's memories, her fears, her anger, and her pains. She always was Aqua's darkness given form and thought, just blind to that fact. Now? She knows it, remembers it, and can focus it. A long time ago I thought what she had become was everything we ever feared for Aqua, I was wrong. "

Terra glanced up into the sky, into the darkened Lanes Between. " _This_ is everything we feared of Aqua. Every suppressed dark emotion, every desire, every tick of rage, every speck of hate, every desire for revenge or retribution that Aqua ever had, is given form, unleashed and unrestrained in the form of her Heartless. Uninhibited by what little light, and what friendship she felt for us, that was in Aqua's heart."

Ven sighed heavily. "Aqua..."

Terra put a hand on Ven's shoulder. "The past is the past, there's nothing to be gained by lingering on it. Aqua's gone Ven."

Kairi pursed her lips tightly. "No, she's not. As much as I wish she was at peace, she's not. So long as that thing has her heart wrapped in darkness as its core, Aqua is still tormented, or did you not remember why you wanted to imprison me here? Did you not remember what I told you about my encounter with her in the Realm of Sleep?"

Terra turned to Kairi and regarded her, hard. "I do remember."

He walked up to her and stared down at her. "I suppose you'll just have to finish it then, and give her release."

Kairi blinked a few times, a bit surprised.

"The situation has changed, the rest of us have to go out and try to stem the tide of darkness in the Realm of Light where we can, buying you and Sora time to go for the Door to Darkness and find Kingdom Hearts," said Terra, "If she's sending all of the Heartless into the Realm of Light, then, the path will be far less dangerous than originally assumed. You might be able to slip right through unchallenged."

"Terra," said Eraqus, "Just the two of them? Should a Master not go with them?"

"Or at least send me to help cover their back," offered Riku.

Terra shook his head. "We have a duty to perform to the Realm of Light."

He faced forward and started down the steps. "We had our chance Eraqus. We failed Aqua. That's all there is to it."

He hesitated before looking back at Kairi and Sora. "Let Aqua's chosen ones bring an end to this, and give her peace."

Kairi watched him go for a moment, feeling conflicted, before calling out. "Terra... I lied about something."

Terra paused and glanced back. "About what?"

"I told you Aqua used my memory to keep her floating out of sleep, but, that's only partially true," said Kairi, "Before she remembered me, she used you first, the memory of a man who had been crying for her. It was the only thing she could remember at first in the Realm of Sleep."

Terra's tough and serious demeanor faded, and a pained look crossed his face. "Aqua..."

The man recovered, nodded curtly to her, and took off into the Lanes Between without another word, the other Master's and apprentices following after. Ven briefly paused to give them directions to the End of the World before following suite.

"Kairi, Sora, please be careful," said Aurora, the other princess nodding with her.

"We'll be fine," said Kairi, "They said it'd be smooth sailing after all."

Aurora's voice thinned. "Whether that's the case or not, I do not know, but..."

Aurora walked forward and wrapped Kairi in a hug before she could react. "You are our fellow Princess of Heart, a sister to us. While I know you don't think highly of us for keeping Aqua's fate a secret from you, but we do care for you, and we're sorry. Just please, come back safe."

Kairi opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't find anything to say for a few moments before she finally settled on, "I will..."

She felt awkward, as the other Princess all gave her a hug and goodbye before walking into the keep. She scratched the back of her head, a bit bashful, before glancing behind her as Sora put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go. One way or another, it's ending today," said Sora seriously.

Kairi nodded and summoned her Glider, taking off into the Lanes Between, Sora following behind her. The darkness in the Lanes Between was almost overwhelming now, it was like flying through the dark mist back in Alexandria, only worse. It made it hard to see where she was going, but, she trusted in the directions Ven had given them.

Finally, something came into view, on the dark side of the Realm Between. It was like a swirling purple vortex of energy, blue lightning cackling out of it into space. Darkness tainted the vortex, seeping into it. The place, even though they hadn't even landed yet, put her on edge. She and Sora exchanged looks, nodded, and dove into the world...


	25. In Utter Darkness

They landed outside a small cave, at the foot of lake of purple water. Out as far as they could see, were hundreds and thousands of small islands. The entirety of the lake was dotted with them, she could probably hopscotch her way to the vortex of purple energy at the far side of the lake. Was this... really all that was left of the worlds taken by the Heartless outside the Realm of Sleep? It was... a bitter sight, realizing just how much had been lost. It... almost hurt as much as gazing up into the starless sky.

She started forward, mostly walking to the islands, sometimes having to jump between them...

"Huh, we can walk on the water," said Sora all the sudden.

Kairi blinked a few times before taking a cautious step, and found her was right. "Strange. Well, whatever, we're cutting a straight line then."

They walked in silence. Despite the bleakness of this place and the darkness in the air, not a single heartless appeared. Terra had been right, Aqua's Heartless had sent _EVERYTHING_ out. She ought to be pleased, but she wasn't. It made her worried, very worried. The remaining worlds had to be drowning in darkness by now.

"Let's book it, we have no time to waste," said Kairi.

She took off running, Sora following suite. They came to the vortex on the far side of the lake, and dove right in. They came out on a ravine on a ledge, many above and many below them. Colored spider-web like strands were everywhere.

She summoned her glider. "We ran the lake, we're not ledge hopping."

Sora grinned at that. "After you."

They flew around the ravine, searching for a way out. Oddly enough, it was at the bottom of it, through a hole with blue light swirling out of it. Where they came out was an off-putting place, platforms with jagged tooth like edges to them, nothing but a black abyss below them. She noticed a swirling light at the edge of the platform they were on, and off in the far distance on another platform, a different light. She hesitated before touching it, and then suddenly finding herself teleported.

"What...?" she exclaimed, looking around and then backwards, squinting, and seeing Sora off in the distance...

Until he teleported to and barreled into her, flattening her into the ground and landing on top of her. "Owww. Sora get off!"

They scrambled to their feet, Sora giving her a sheepish look. "Sorry."

She shrugged. "It's fine, let's go."

They continued teleporting through platforms. It was... almost off-putting, how there was nothing but silence and walking. She would have found some kind of comfort in a fight with the Heartless, but the deadness to the place nagged at her. Made her feel nervous and apprehensive...

The final platform they came to had a hole that seemed to be pulling light into it. Seeing no other option, they jumped into it. They come out into a swirling black abyss with a dormant volcano off in the distance. They summoned their gliders as they fell and flew towards it. Kairi had reservations about diving into the volcano... but, nowhere else to go.

Kairi frowned as they flew down into it. There was a heavy darkness in the air, _something_ had been here not too long ago, probably before Aqua's Heartless had sent all of the Heartless under her command into the worlds. They flew to the bottom of the volcano, and into a shining portal, and several more rooms like it. They came out into an odd room with a green crystal floor... with no visible way out.

The only apparent thing was a large blue Heartless symbol on the far end of the room. Kairi approached it and touched the symbol...

_You're afraid of being alone..._

_You want to make a difference..._

_You hold those you care for deep in your heart..._

_You seek the Recusant, even through utter darkness..._

_I asked you once if this is truly what described you..._

_I ask now, do you still hold true to your heart?_

Kairi froze as the words echoed in her mind, they were the words from that dream before her Keyblade awakened. "Who...?

She spun around, and there, standing in the center of the room, was a transparent cloaked figure. The figure was translucent, ephemeral. She wasn't honestly sure it was real... she couldn't feel anything from it. No light, no darkness, no presence at all, nothing she could detect with her senses. Yet... she felt in her heart, it was no illusion, it was... an echo of sorts.

She registered the question. "Yes, I do."

Sora blinked a few times and glanced around. "Yes you do... what?"

She pointed at the cloaked figure, but Sora merely grew confused. "What?"

Could he not see it?

" _You say you hold true to your heart, yet, I question that,_ " said the figure, " _Why did you come here?_ "

"I came to end this, I came to set Master Aqua free, and give her rest," said Kairi, ignoring Sora's confused look.

The figured slowly shook his head. " _So, you've given up on the Recusant then? You're going to let her go after all this time?_ "

Kairi grew confused. "I don't... understand... she's... gone, sleeping in death..."

" _So little you and the others understand, wrapped up in the darkness overwhelming the worlds._ _Sleeping is not necessarily death, and even if it is, what sleeps, may one day waken and be reborn,_ " said the figure, " _You were fortunate, your sleep was ended prematurely, and your birth by sleep, accelerated by your fellow princesses and the Recusant's sacrifice_. _Her second birth by sleep, won't be as fortunate. Perhaps had you encountered her on that day her Heartless was born, you might have pulled her out of sleep, may have given her a second birth by sleep and spared the worlds their agony, but, it wasn't meant to be._ "

Kairi stared at the figure silently for a moment. "What… exactly are you saying?"

" _Never give up on the dreams etched in your heart, child,_ " said the figure, aiming a hand at them.

Before Kairi could react, a gust of dark energy ripped from the figure's hands and blew her and Sora through the symbol, into another room, and slammed them into a pink door, smashing it open and pushing them through...

The figure's voice distantly filled her mind one last time as they tumbled into a bright light. " _I told you that the day you find the Recusant you seek was both far off, and very near. The time has come for you to make that a reality. It all hinges on whether or not you believe, and whether or not you can still find the light in the deepest of darknesses..._ "

Kairi covered her eyes, shielding herself from the bright light, before slowly bringing her arm down and standing up. "Where..."

She gave a strangled gasp as she looked around. she... she _KNEW_ this place! They found themselves in an open plaza, surrounded by trees, water fountains leaking down below the plaza, and olden wooden houses. A gate blocked access to a large and tall castle off in the distance. She distinctively remembered that there would be a flower garden along the way...

"Kairi? Do you know where we are?" he asked.

She chocked a bit. "I... it's... its home..."

"Huh? This doesn't look like Traverse Town," said Sora.

Kairi shook her head. "No... it's my real home... its Radiant Garden..."

Sora's eyes went wide. "Huh?!"

He looked around again. "It's... not a bad place, kind of beautiful actually..."

"Yeah... it is," she said softly, "It's... just like I remember it."

She began walking towards the castle gate, only to pause as a crack filled the air. She turned her head to see a building disappear off in the distance. The water pouring out of the fountains turns purple, as did some of the sky. She frowned at that and continued walking towards the castle. The world continued to deform around her, becoming a hellish, twisted, dark mockery of what her home had once been. Even the flowers along the way... turned twisted and deformed, tainted by darkness.

She walked silently, not giving voice to the pain she felt at the sight of the darkening of her world. She walked to the steps leading to the castle, and into the area before it.

"This... this is where I met her," said Kairi softly, "This is where my Master... this is where Aqua saved my life..."

Sora put a hand on her shoulder. "Kairi..."

"Take a look at this tiny place," came a soft, but familiar voice.

They both froze and glanced up, sighting... Aqua...? She was sitting ontop of the castle gate, in her old clothes as Kairi remembered her, looking out into the deformed world.

"Aqua?" questioned Kairi.

"This world, such a small, trifle thing, yet, a place where so much happened," said Aqua, "It's where she and you first met, right? A place where she sacrificed so much on two separate occasions, once for her friends, and once for a young girl she didn't even know. It's a place where she died, her heart collapsed, and was reborn, touched by your light. Its where, for the sake of her friends, she opened her heart fully to darkness."

Aqua leaped off the gates, and as she did, her form changed into the one held by Aqua's Heartless.

For some reason, it pained Kairi so much, she couldn't help but hold out a hand and cry out, "Aqua!"

The Heartless landed and studied her. "Perhaps I was premature in what I said. You, Kairi, I do not hate. The first time we met, you gave me a hug of all things. You, never gave up or abandoned her. It's truly a shame that your heart is of pure light. You cannot become a Heartless, cannot leave behind a friend when I take your heart into my depths."

Kairi stared at her silently.

Sora cursed under his breath. "She followed us here..."

The Heartless chuckled. "Actually, no. I thought it was the other way around when I first felt you here. I came here to wait out the end of the Realm of Light, I don't honestly need to lift a finger anymore."

She waved a hand slowly out before. "This, is where I was born, where I came into existence. It was the first world I consumed. I often returned here, as if seeking something, when I wasn't consuming worlds. I wonder, if I was born here for a reason. Even consumed by her darkness, I wonder, did she reach out for you, Kairi?"

Kairi bowed her head, remembering the figure's words. If... if she had ran towards the darkness, instead of letting Grandma lead her away from it, could she have saved Aqua from her fate on that day? She knew she didn't have the power to do that anymore, the power difference between her and the Heartless was too extreme for her to even think about pulling Aqua free.

But...

The figures words...

She raised her head and stared at the Heartless before summoning her Keyblade. "Maybe she did, and, if you can hear me in there Master Aqua, I'm sorry I didn't save you then. Here, and now, I'll make it up to you. I'm setting you free, and... I won't stop until I find a way to bring you back."

A softness entered the Heartless's face before she vanished and reappeared right in front of Kairi. She froze in surprise, and tensed as the Heartless reached up...

...but not for her heart, instead, she caressed Kairi's face. "You, Kairi, are a good friend. I'm jealous of Aqua, to have your loyalty. How I wish I could take it all for myself. I suppose, I'll have to settle for us being together, your heart sleeping in my depths."

The Heartless lowered her arm back to her side, turned, and walked back towards the castle door. "You know, I think... I'll let you do it instead of me."

Kairi frowned. "Do what?"

The Heartless walked to the gate and leaped back up, sitting on top of it. "I had originally intended for this anyway, but, after awakening more of her memories, I decided to torture him to death and be done with it, something to entertain me while I awaited the end of the light. But... I think you have more of a right to it, for him taking Aqua from you, and, I'll admit, I'm curious to see the full strength of your heart now. We have clashed so many times, my darkness against the purity of your heart, how powerful I wonder, have you become through our struggles?"

She snapped her fingers, and a Dark Corridor appeared below her. Out of it... stepped Xehanort. His eyes were blank and dead looking, the emblem heartless symbol on his chest a blue one instead of a red one. There was not an ounce of will left in him from what she could sense. The lesser Heartless had fallen before the greater one. If Kairi had it in her, she might pity Xehanort for his fate, but honestly, he had brought it on himself. What he wanted to do to Aqua... it was almost fitting to see him the one enslaved instead.

"I'll let you fight alongside Sora, after all, I've realized, what kept Aqua going for so long, was the desire for keep her friends safe. It gave her strength and motivation in her times of need," said Aqua's Heartless before growing cruel, "Keeping him safe and alive will be a good motivator for you to cut loose. I personally don't care if he lives or not to see the collapse of the Realm of Light, he's done a piss poor job keeping his promise to Aqua to keep you safe after all."

Sora flinched at that.

Aqua's Heartless smiled at Sora. "Don't fret boy, I remember the kindness you did for Ven. When you've been consumed, you'll be one of my more treasured little shadows."

Sora blinked. "Did for Ven...?"

The Heartless chuckled. "Ha, neither of you realize it yet, even after all this time. Yet all Aqua had to do was peer into the depths of your heart to see what you did, and see you for what you truly are."

"A light in the darkness," she whispered softly, before growing cold, "A light for broken hearts, yet, a light denied to her on both occasions, when Kairi had to step in, and when she stabbed herself. So selective, your light, and thus, you must be, snuffed out!"

An intense dark aura appeared around Xehanort. The man aimed a hand at them and unleashed a wave of darkness. Sora and Kairi rolled opposite directions and charged at him, Keyblades raised. The man gave a roar, and out of his back, exploded a dark, man like familiar. It was muscular to a heavy degree, and inky black in color. It had white stripes of cloth wrapped around its head, its mouth, and some around its chest. It had a heart like shape in the hole at its center. Its head had two long antenna like appendixes.

"Go Guardian," said Xehanort in a dull, lifeless voice.

The Guardian charged at Sora, while Xehanort aimed a hand and unleashed a bolt of black lightning at Kairi. She swung her Keyblade and batted the lightning aside, right into his Guardian, sending it reeling away from Sora. The two of them closed the distance and let into Xehanort with a barrage of slashes. The man staggered back before teleporting to the other end of the area near the stairs.

_GRAB_

Kairi yelped as the Guardian's hands wrapped around both her and Sora, lifting them into the air and pinning their arms to their body. Xehanort aimed his hands at the two of them, unleashing dark lightning at the defenseless pair. They both screamed as the lightning coursed over them. They struggled and struggled, trying to break the Guardian's titanic grip.

She ground her teeth and channeled her light, a glow surrounding her body. She aimed her restricted hand down and unleashed a pearl spell, guiding it to circle around and slam into the Guardian from behind. It staggered and dropped them, both of the Keybearers falling to the ground and staggering away.

"Curaga!" yelled Sora, green light washing over them.

She gave him a brief nod before pointing her Keyblade at Xehanort. "Shock!"

Light erupted at the old man, sending him reeling back, hissing in pain. He aimed a hand towards the castle walls, and a torrent of bricks broke off and rushed towards her and Sora. They scrambled to get out of the way of the barrage. Getting a concussion was not on her list of things to do mid-fight.

"Aeroga!" yelled Sora, throwing a gust of wind magic at the brickstorm, scattering the magic.

Only for Xehanort to teleport behind him, create a shard of ice, and stab it into his shoulder. Sora cried out in pain, staggering forward and falling to a knee. Xehanort blasted his back with a puff of darkness and sent him face-first into the ground.

"Sora!" cried out Kairi, blitzing forward...

_SMASH!_

The Guardian two-hand smash her from her side, sending her sprawling away. She hit the ground and rolled, springing to her feet. She saw Xehanort raise a blackened hand and aim it for the downed Sora. She gave a roar, and chucked her Keyblade, light shining intensely from it. The Keyblade slashed across Xehanort's get, sending him cringing back. Kairi aimed a hand at Sora and released a burst of light, melting the ice shard in his shoulder and healing him.

He rose to his feet and gave her a nod of strength before he went rigged and cried out, "Look out!"

_WHAM!_

The Guardian came from behind and smashed her into the ground, hard. She winced on impact, and tried to pick herself up, only for the Guardian to grab her head, pull it back, and slam it back down, grinding her face into the brick floor, bloodying it.

Kairi ground her teeth and spat blood before twisting her head to glare at the Guardian. She bathed herself in light before letting loose a cry of power, light erupting out of her body, blowing back the guardian in the process. She rose to her feet and put a hand to her face, healing the damage and wiping the blood off on her armor. She glanced at Sora, seeing him deflect Xehanort's magic attacks and try to close the distance. Let him deal with the old bastard, this Guardian thing had just really pissed her off.

She turned and charged at it, recalling and sweeping her Keyblade, slashing it over and over again, leaving streaks of light through its body with each stroke. It fell back before her onslaught, groaning with monstrous cries. Finally, she aimed a hand, gave a cry of fury, and send a blast of light into its heart shaped hole in its chest. The Guardian exploded in a flash of light, obliterated.

The turned to look at Sora, chasing Xehanort across the place as the man teleported around and kept trying to pick the boy off with magic. She narrowed her eyes at that. She really disliked teleporters, cowards if she was asked. If someone picked a fight, they ought to stand their ground. Well, not that Xehanort had a choice when picking this fight, but she didn't honestly care.

She raised a hand and funneled a heavy amount of light into her hand waited for the right... MOMENT!

"SHOCK!" she roared, releasing a heavy amount of energy into the spell.

The light erupted around Xehanort, throwing him against the wall of the castle. He collapsed to the ground briefly, before slowly rising to his feet, a pitch black and purple aura seeping out to taint the air around him. He raised a hand into the air, and slammed it into the ground. Wait a second, she recognized this from last time... she... NEEDED TO MOVE!

She threw herself forward as a jagged X shaped sigil appeared underneath her and exploded. She and Sora ran, trying to keep out of the way. They ran, and ran, until...

"As your flesh bears the sigil...," began Xehanort, his voice dead.

Two blue X's appeared infront of Sora and Kairi, surging forward and wrapping around them.

"Oh, not this crap again!" Kairi yelled in frustration, struggling.

Xehanort rose into the air and held a hand up, a huge red and black sphere of energy appearing overhead, and spoke with a dead voice. "So shall you forfeit your lives as Recusants."

Oh boy oh boy... she was pretty sure Aqua's Heartless wasn't going to step in this time. She focused her light intensely down to her Keyblade and began to cut through the X. The sphere of energy in Xehanort's grew more and more massive. Kairi gave a cry and severed through the X before rushing to Sora and cutting through the one binding him.

Xehanort put the rest of his black aura into the sphere and threw it down at them.

Sora tensed. "Kairi!"

She stared at the oncoming sphere of death grimly before slowly looking at Sora, holding her Keyblade out behind her in a particular motion, and offering her hand with the other. "Together."

Sora stared at her hand for a moment before grinning, mirroring her action. "Together."

The used eachother to spin, light wrapping around their bodies, before screaming together, "LIGHT!"

Pillars and circles of light bursting out of the ground and spinning around them. Their dual-Salvation technique burst into the air and collided with the sphere of darkness...

_BOOM! SHOCKWAVE!_

The collision of such powerful dark and light techniques caused a massive, blinding explosion. The air crackled with power, the world under them bucked and cracked before shattering. Sora and Kairi gave surprised screams as the world collapsed and they fell. They plummeted head over heels into a dark, endless abyss. They reached for eachother, connecting hands, before Kairi summoned her glider and pulled Sora to it. They clung to the mast and flew downward. There, far below them was a white marble like land...

And on that land...

Was a door.

It was a giant white double-door with small murals on each door, with giant gold handles. It was surrounded by a barrier of light. As they drew closer, Kairi could see the horrific damage done to the door. It was cracked, splintered, had places where it looked like someone had tried to pry the cracks open, and had what looked like giant punch marks in it. Kairi could feel it, lurking behind the door, an immense darkness.

This was it, this was the Door to Darkness...

They landed a ways away and exchanged glances before running to the door...

Only for Xehanort to teleport before them.

"Get out of our way!" roared Sora, "We don't have time for you!"

Xehanort aimed a blackening hand towards them and unleashed a heavy beam of darkness. They both raised their Keyblades and blocked the energy, darkness washing over and around them, trying to reach around their defenses. They both glowed with light, pushing back the dark energy.

Sora and Kari exchanged looks before nodding. She tapped fully into her light, and felt Sora do the same. It was time to put this bastard down for good.

"This is for my islands! For every life you stole and ruined, and for my mom!" cried out Sora.

"This is for my Master! For everything you did to her, for the life you denied her!" cried out Kairi.

Light erupted out of them and blew straight through the beam of darkness, surging at Xehanort and hitting him...

_BOOM!_

Light engulfed the man, making him scream in agony before it swallowed him whole. When the explosion cleared, Xehanort knelt weakly on the ground, charred and burnt by the light, trembling in agony. Sora and Kairi walked forward slowly, huffing and puffing with exhaustion. Maybe they had overdone it with that last burst of energy...

Kairi frowned at the downed man. This... wasn't as satisfying as she'd like it. The man was just a puppet now, not the enemy who had ruined so many lives. But, she'd deal with it. She learned from her Master's mistake, they had a chance to deal with him here and now, and she wasn't going to pass up on the chance. She and Sora exchanged one last glance, and drove their Keyblades into the man's chest before ripping them out.

The man's heart flew out of his Heartless as his body decayed into darkness and vanished. She watched the heart rise into the air...

...and straight into the hands of Aqua's Heartless as she levitated down towards them, a near maniacal grin on her face...

* * *


	26. The Greatest of Lights

 

Kairi stared up helplessly at Aqua's Heartless floating up in the air, holding the heart that had been freed from Xehanirt's Heartless. "No..."

Aqua's Heartless smiled a sickeningly sweet smile at Kairi. "I'm impressed. You've come a long way since I first felt your presence in Traverse Town. Grown so strong, and even defeated the Heartless of your Master's nemesis..."

The Heartless clenched her fist over the heart, drawing it into her being and consuming it. "Oh... so delicious and dark..."

The moment she consumed the heart, Kairi and Sora's knees buckled and they fell to the ground. The presence emanating from the Heartless grew even stronger, and even fouler than before. Darkness radiated out of the Heartless, chocking the air. She levitated down to the ground, and the moment her feet touched the marble like land they stood on, it began to blacken.

"K-kairi...," stammered Sora, "G-go, find Kingdom Hearts! I'll try to hold h-her off!"

Aqua's Heartless chuckled. "So, you seek the Heart of all Worlds? I had wondered where it may be, but, for you to have come here, for the Door to Darkness. It resides in the Realm of Darkness, doesn't it?"

Kairi said nothing, her face pale. "..."

She smirked at Kairi. "Still you cling to hope, it's almost admirable. But, there's one slight problem with your plan. The Door to Darkness will bear no heart with light through it."

Kairi's eyes went wide. "What?!"

The Heartless pointed to the door. "Go on, try to pass through, here, I'll even get rid of the barrier for you."

With a wave of her hand, the barrier of light surrounding the door shattered, and immense darkness began to seep out of the damage door. Kairi struggled to her feet, desperate, and ran through the darkness for the door...

_PING_

Kairi bounced of an invisible wall just before she could pass through and landed on her butt. "No... NO!"

Was... was there plan doomed to fail from the start? What... what were they supposed to do now?

Aqua's Heartless threw back her head and laughed. "As I said, but fret not Kairi."

She held out her hand. "We shall go together."

Kairi rose to her feet and stared at the outstretched heart, confused. "What?"

Aqua's Heartless slowly licked her lips. "I'm tired of waiting. It's time for us to be together. Your heart has grown strong enough, and I have awakened enough of Aqua's memories. You don't need to remain awake anymore, you need not fight nor struggle any longer. Come to me, and let your heart sleep forever in my depths along with the countless other hearts I have consumed."

Kairi's heart skipped a beat fearfully.

"You leave her alone!" cried out Sora, rising to his feet and rushing at the Heartless, Keyblade in hand.

Aqua's Heartless flicked her wrist, and Sora was cast back by a burst of darkness, thrown to the ground.

Aqua's Heartless stared hungrily at Kairi and held out her hand again. "Come to me..."

Kairi's throat went dry. She was to tired to fight, and even if both her and Sora had been at full strength, it wouldn't have mattered. They couldn't fight that Heartless. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. It... was over...

Kairi turned her head to sadly look at the Door to Darkness. So close, and yet, so far...

"Kingdom Hearts...," she whispered quietly, "Where are you?"

_Ripple_

Kairi felt something suddenly, a resonance in her heart. She saw, through the utter darkness rushing out of the Door to Darkness covering the area in a black mist, a brief dot of light, off in the far distance. It stayed there, as if waiting for something...

"It's time Kairi," said Aqua's Heartless.

Kairi thought furiously for a moment, before a soft smile played across her lips. "I suppose it is."

"Kairi! No!" cried out Sora.

Kingdom Hearts... the light of the Heart of all Worlds. If it hadn't rushed out at her words, her call, then it was waiting for something. Kairi had a hunch just what it was waiting for. Aqua's Heartless was to powerful to hit head on. It had consumed so many worlds and hearts, and was fueled by the power of the Realm of Darkness leaking out of the door. Even if Kingdom Hearts was strong enough to defeat the Heartless, she could just flee before she would be destroyed.

The greatest of lights needed a way into the heart of the deepest of darknesses, a guiding light...

Kairi turned her head and looked at Sora. "It's alright, don't worry."

Sora looked at her, lost. "K-kairi?"

Kairi walked slowly towards Aqua's Heartless, her eyes half closed. She focused inwardly, preparing and bracing her heart for what was to come. She needed to retain a connection to her body, a path from it to her heart. An open road in the pit of darkness she was about to dive into. She did not have experience with this kind of thing, but, she followed her instincts, something she had always done since she had first saved Aqua's heart from rupturing all those years ago when they first met.

Finally, she reached Aqua's Heartless, and stretched out a hand to clasp hers. The Heartless smiled a viscous smile before she pulled Kairi into a tight hug.

"Welcome to darkness," she whispered into Kairi's ear...

* * *

Sora watched, horrified, as the Heartless pulled an arm back, and then drove her hand forward into Kairi's chest, a light erupting at contact. Kairi screamed in agony as the Heartless grabbed her heart and ripped it clean out in one go. The Heartless lifted Kairi's limp body up and tossed it towards Sora, like it was trash.

Sora gave a horrid sob. "KAIRI!"

He ran forward and caught her limp body and gently cradled it, his entire body shaking. "No... why Kairi... why...?"

_Dont worry Sora... trust in me..._

Sora gave a start and glanced up, looking at the bright heart held in the Heartless's hands. The Heartless grinned, almost maddeningly, and gripped the heart, pulling it to her chest and through it.

"At last, her heart of pure light," exulted Aqua's Heartless, "It's everything... I ever thought it would taste like... so exquisite... so... so..."

Aqua's Heartless froze, a confused expression crossing her face. "What is...?"

She screamed in pain, clutching a hand to her chest. Lines and cracks of light ruptured out and spread across her body, light seeping out in a soft mist. The Heartless fell to a knee, shaking in pain.

"What... is... this...?" she hissed.

Sora glared at her furiously. "It's what you wanted, a heart of pure light, but a darkness like you can't handle that kind of light!"

Aqua's Heartless returned the glare, struggling with herself before slowly rising to her feet. "There is no light... that the darkness can't... snuff out..."

Sora watched, shocked, as the lines and cracks of light stopped spreading, and the light stopped seeping out. "No way..."

Aqua's Heartless painfully grinned at him. "Don't worry Sora. I'll finish consuming Kairi's heart, then you're next. After, I go to find the Heart of all Worlds. There, I will feast on the darkness of all worlds, and all hearts, shall at last be consumed, and safe, within me."

Sora stared at her, baffled. Safe? What kind of insane reasoning was that to have done all of this? By the light this was sickening to hear, Terra was right in so many ways. This Heartless was a mockery of everything Terra had told him Aqua had ever stood for. Aqua's body, her power, her friendship, even the desire to protect the worlds was corrupted by this thing...

"You're... wrong...," came a whisper.

Sora glanced down, surprised to see Kairi talking in his arms. "What the...?"

Aqua's Heartless mirrored this. "What?"

There was an empty, almost dead look to her eyes, as her body struggled to stand up on it's own, when she did, she turned and gave him a smile. "We... know the truth... about Kingdom Hearts... don't we... Sora?"

Sora's eyes went wide with surprise. She... Kairi was _smiling_ at him... for the first time ever...

Kairi's body reached a hand out and clasped it in his own, immediately, he felt her pulling on his light for strength. She had asked him to trust her, and he did. He let it go, let her pull as much strength as she needed. He felt something, a stirring through her, and followed her gaze as she glanced at the Door to Darkness...

His eye's went wide, sighting a small speck of light through all that darkness, and he couldn't help but smile too, "Yeah, we do, don't we? Kingdom Hearts... it isn't darkness..."

"What are you two blabbering about?" hissed Aqua's Heartless, the lines of light slowly starting to recede from her, starting to overcome Kairi's light.

"We know...," began Kairi, squeezing Sora's hand.

"...without a doubt...," said Sora, squeezing back.

"...that Kingdom Hearts...," the said together.

The air trembled as he felt Kairi reach out with her power, with her light, as they screamed together, " _ **IS LIGHT**_ **!** "

_BOOM! SHINE!_

Light, powerful and bright light unlike anything Sora had ever seen before poured out of the Door to Darkness. It washed over the area and immediately banished the darkness coating the air and tainting the ground. Aqua's Heartless screamed in horrific pain, raising an arm in front of her, trying to shield herself, only for it to start burning in the light. She hissed and struggled, taking a step forward and trying to shove the light back. For a brief second, Sora was afraid it wasn't enough, before the light began to wrap around the Heartless, struggling to overcome her darkness. Agony ripped across the Heartless's face, and she aimed her free hand behind her, and a Dark Corridor briefly appeared, as if to flee through...

Only to fail and rupture, as a second light, Kairi's light, emanated out of Aqua's Heartless and disrupted the portal.

The light of Kingdom Hearts began to swirl through the area, rushing towards Kairi's body. It funneled in, and then through her, down a transparent line that appeared between Kairi and Aqua's Heartless. It surged down and into the Heartless, bypassing her defenses completely and entering into her core.

Aqua's Heartless's eyes bulged in shock and pain, light beginning to shine and break through more and more cracks of light that began to splinter through her body. "NO! Why... the worlds... the people... all hearts... were supposed to be mine... safe in me... so why...?"

"WHY!" she screamed one final time.

Aqua's Heartless exploded in a nova of light that knock Sora on his back, rattled the world, and cast a light out into the sky that illuminated and shook the foundations of the Realm of Light itself. As the light began to fade, Sora felt it, or rather, the lack of _**IT**_. The presence, Aqua's Heartless... it was gone...

Ten years of sorrow, suffering, and struggles... it was over...

Sora blinked furiously, trying to regain his sight. "We... we did it Kairi..."

She didn't respond.

"Kairi?" he whispered, looking down at her now limp and unresponsive body.

He shook her, but she didn't respond. "Kairi!?"

He tensed, and glanced towards where the Heartless had exploded... and when he did, he wasn't prepared to see what he saw. Countless hearts, thousands, perhaps millions of them, were all flying through the air out of the explosion of light. They all floated in the air, blotting out the sky. Everyone that Aqua's Heartless had consumed...

Sora's line of thought broke when the light of Kingdom Hearts receded and darkness took over every heart save what he assumed was Kairi's heart. One by one, each heart turned into a Heartless, horrifying Sora. He tensed and clutched Kairi's body protectively to himself...

But the Heartless didn't acknowledge him. One by one, they rushed to the Door to Darkness. Upon reaching it, darkness ripped out of the Heartless and flew into the door, being absorbed into it. The heart, having fed it's darkness into the door, rose up into the air and disappeared. He watched, for what felt like hours, as each and every heart fed their darkness into the door, even Xehanort's, and slowly, the damaged door began to repair itself. Cracks and splinters faded away, but even more, the door began to change. It began to adopt a new, reinforced and strong appearance...

Finally, only two heart's remained, floating where Aqua's Heartless had exploded. One was a heart of pure light, Kairi's heart. Yet... Sora grew scared, the light than had been in it before Aqua's Heartless tried to consume it... it was so faint, so weak... how much had weakening the Heartless from within, had the Heartless's attempts to consume her, hurt her?

The other, was a heart with a powerful and immense dark aura still surrounding it. Yet... it felt... almost familiar...

_I know you're tired, but please, it's almost done!_

Sora gave a start when a translucent, glowing image of Kairi's body surrounded her heart. She looked tired and exhausted, but... she held out a hand towards the other heart...

_Kairi...?_

Sora stared in open shock as the form, not of Aqua's Heartless, but of Aqua as he remembered her ten years ago, slowly appeared as another translucent glowing image around the dark heart, around Aqua's heart. Yet... something was off, was disturbingly _wrong_. Even as a transparent body, she looked exhausted, dangerously thin, and drained, transparent bones far to visible through what skin wasn't covered by her clothes. It was as if the life had been sucked out of her...

Sora recalled what Kairi had told them, about her encounter with Aqua in the Realm of Sleep. Aqua had told the girl about her strength being sucked away, and Yen Sid has expressed concern about Aqua's Heartless absorbing her heart. She honestly looked like she was on her last legs. He realized... it... had been to close, her Heartless had come far to close to taking everything from the woman.

Aqua stared at Kairi's outstretched hand, before reaching slowly out and grabbing it tenderly.

Kairi smiled warmly at her. " _Come on Master Aqua, let's go, together._ "

Sora watched silently as Kairi led Aqua to the Door to Darkness. Aqua stared up at it silently, looking lost in a memory.

Kairi glanced up at her and then motioned to the door. " _Finish it._ "

Aqua slowly raised a hand and aimed at the door. The black aura that was wrapped around her heart began to drain out of her hand and into the door. When it finished, the door flashed and finished its transformation. It resembled an immense and heavily fortified door of a fortress, metallic bars snapping across the door to bar it closed. The moment the last speck of excess darkness left her heart, Aqua's form began to heal, slowly adopting the more healthy appearance Sora remembered her having. Her heart was reclaiming what her Heartless had stolen from it.

Kairi smiled weakly at Aqua, her form growing weak. " _It's done... she's gone... you're saved from her... and the door is fixed_."

She glanced up, a happy look crossing her face. " _They're all coming back..._ "

Sora glanced up, watching as stars began re-appearing in the sky by the dozens. Within minutes, the sky resembled the one he could so faintly recall seeing as a child. He couldn't help but smile, tears of relief sliding down his face.

" _I'm so glad... I got to see you again..._ ," he heard Kairi whisper, " _One day... I'll find a way... to bring you back... Master Aqua..._ "

Sora glanced down in time to see Kairi's translucent form around her heart close it's eyes and fade away. The light coming out of her heart dimmed and went quiet, as if sleeping...

Aqua slowly reached out and clasped Kairi's heart in her hands, staring at it sadly. " _Sleep well... Kairi..._ "

She turned to look at Sora, a thoughtful look on her face. " _You... you're... the other one..._ _ _that_ I chose..._"

Sora stared at the visage of Aqua, not quite sure what to say or how to react. They had all given up on her a long time ago. Except for Kairi, he doubted the girl had ever truly given up on her Master. To see Aqua's heart free of her Heartless was a sight he didn't quite know how to adjust to. While he hadn't personally known her, his only memory of her a brief snippet ten years ago, she had changed his life, for good and ill. He hesitated briefly before putting Kairi on his back, wrapping her arms over his shoulders, slowly walking over to Aqua.

Aqua's eyebrows furrowed in thought. " _I remember that... I had you make a promise... to keep Kairi safe..._ "

Sora bowed his head, his voice cracking a bit. "I... yeah..."

Aqua stared at the heart in her hand for a moment before stepping forward. _"I ask... that you fulfill... that promise... here and now._ "

He gave a startled gasp as Aqua pushed Kairi's heart against and into Sora's chest.

Aqua smiled softly. " _She just... needs a safe place to sleep... and recover... please keep her safe... for me..._ "

A tear ran down Sora's face. "I... I will, I promise."

Aqua closed her eyes, gave a heavy sigh of relief, and her translucent body faded away. Her heart floated upward into the sky, and vanished like all the rest.

Sora sighed heavily. "Well, I guess it's time to go home, right Kairi?"

He laughed a little to himself when she, of course, didn't respond. "Well, it's going to be a pain getting you back there like this."

_FLASH!_

To his astonishment, Oathkeeper appeared in Kairi's hand. She aimed it forward, without ever opening her eyes, and unleashed a burst of light from it before it vanished. There, standing before him, was a door crafted out of light. He stared at it wordlessly before walking through, and coming out before the keep of the Land of Departure.

Everyone, all the Princesses of Heart, the Masters, and even Riku, were all out there. On the steps, or in the courtyard, staring up at the now starlit sky, not even noticing that Sora had just walked out of a door of light and appeared before them. He guessed they had returned to their home during the hours when the door was being repaired, after the worlds had been restored.

"Uh... hi guys," said Sora.

They all gave a start and glanced first at him, and then at Kairi.

Terra strode forward and stopped before him. "Sora, what happened to her?"

Sora smiled sadly, turned his head to look at Kairi, and simply said, "She did it."

Yen Sid walked forward and studied Kairi curiously. "She sleeps, and her heart, is gone."

Sora closed his eyes and sighed. "It's... somewhere safe. It hurt her a lot to end it. She's going to need awhile to recover. I... don't really know how long."

Eraqus nodded slowly. "If her heart is safe, then her body needs to be placed somewhere protected as well. Come, we will see to that first, then, you will tell us what happened."

They all strode into the keep, pausing before the thrones. Eraqus summoned his Keyblade and aimed it behind the middle throne...

"You're going to seal the world?" asked Sora in disbelief.

Eraqus chuckled. "Not fully. There is a special room that is created when this world's Keyhole is sealed. We do not need the world fully transformed, but, that room is needed."

Eraqus shoved his Keyblade forward, and a beam of light erupted out of it. The keep shook, and down one of the halls, an immense light shined out. Eraqus dismissed his Keyblade and walked towards the light, the rest of them following. In the deepest depths of the keep, was a white double door with a Mark of the Keyblade Masters on each as their handles. Eraqus opened the door, and led them inside.

The room itself was completely white, the Mark of the Keyblade Masters etched along the wall. White glowing chains etched into the floor connected the walls to a singular white throne in the center of the room.

"It's called the Chamber of Waking, a special room that was crafted to guard champions who had fallen to sleep until the time of their waking," explained Eraqus, "It has not been used in many generations."

Yen Sid walked up and placed a hand on the top of the throne. "A sleeping body does not age, nor does it need nourishment. Consider it in a state of suspended animation, awaiting it's birth by sleep, the return of it's heart."

Sora walked over and set Kairi down on the throne, kneeling down, placing a hand on her knee, and one over his chest, where her heart slept. "When you're ready Kairi, let me know. Okay?"

She didn't respond of course, but, he swore he saw the faintest of twitches at the edge of her lips, curling up towards a smile. He smiled back at her and stood up. They all stood there, staring at the sleeping girl for a time, before they left the room.

When they closed the door behind them, Eraqus turned to Sora. "This door has a special locking mechanism. Normally, when the entire world is sealed, only the one who locked it away can unlock the door. That however isn't the case here, as the world was not sealed. In this Sora, I trust you. Lock the door, and then you, and only you, will be able to open it."

Sora nodded before summoning Oblivion and aiming at the door. A beam of light shot out, and with a loud 'click' the door flashed, chains of white appearing to bind the door.

"One day Kairi, I'll be there to wake you up," he whispered.

Ven placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It'll be sooner than you think, trust me."

Sora gave him a brief smile.

"Alright then Sora, let us retire to the throne room, you have some explaining to do," said Terra.

Sora nodded, gave the Chamber of Waking one last look, and then walked down the hall with his friends and Masters...

* * *


	27. Epilogue: Stolen Heart

_One Month Later..._

Sora walked through the near empty streets of the restored Radiant Garden, a heavy frown on his face. The worlds were restored, and to both his and the other's great surprise, many of the people of these worlds who had been lost to darkness were also restored to life. It was mostly the average, normal, everyday people who were back, and he was happy for them, yes. Yet... the great leaders, champions, heroes, and even whispered about villains of the restored worlds... were just gone. It was like that everywhere, as if anyone with even a moderate amount of strength and will were still gone. The missing persons reports in various worlds were... well... huge.

It honestly confused Sora, if some were restored, why weren't all of them back as well?

He had come here to Radiant Garden after looking through Traverse Town. He had wanted to find Kairi's adopted parents and tell them what happened to her, and that she'd be okay. Yet no one knew where Leon and Yuffie were...

He could feel, deep in his heart, that Kairi was worried too, even asleep as she was, she appeared somewhat aware of what he was trying to do for her. Yen Sid and Mickey were finally free to start researching both this 'restored heart' and 'disappearance' subject and others now that the Heartless Apocalypse was 'mostly' over. There was still far to much Heartless in the Realm of Light for all of their tastes. But, it would take years to fully cull their presence, after all, Aqua's Heartless had near drowned all the worlds in darkness. He was relativity thankful that plenty of Heartless simply returned to the Realm of Darkness without a central Heartless to control them, but, not all of them.

He crossed his arms and paused in the street, eyebrows furrowed in thought. Restored worlds. Defeated Heartless. Restored people. What did the three have to do with one another? He knew almost everyone who had been on a consumed world would have been either turned into a Heartless, or eaten by Aqua's Heartless, in which they then turned into a Heartless to feed their darkness to the Door of Darkness to repair it.

"Well... if the worlds were restored, then people have a place to return to, the original place they lost their hearts," he said, thinking it out.

"They'd need their hearts freed from their Heartless," he mused.

"Then, they're restored," he finished, "Yet... why not everyone? And... why not _her_ too?"

If this restoration applied to anyone taken by or turned into a Heartless... shouldn't Aqua have come back too? He hadn't dared mention the thought to the Masters, he didn't want to risk hurting them with false hope long thought since dead. Not to mention worrying them on the _other_ end of the spectrum. Because if Aqua should have been restored, then, Xehanort should have been to. They always called his Heartless by his name, but, that wasn't fully the truth. The _REAL_ Xehanort was a Keyblade Master, far more dangerous than his Heartless.

"Yet, neither of them are back," he murmured, "Aqua wouldn't have stayed away. She would have come to see her friends, and Xehanort would have made a move by now."

He felt frustration and anxiety in his chest, from Kairi's heart. "Sorry Kairi... I know you want her back, I just... don't have an answer for you."

He scratched his head and looked towards the sky, baffled by it all, before pausing, sighting a white creature slinking along the rooftops, looking around. He frowned at it, but made no move to give chase or destroy it. They had all noticed the Nobodies becoming more active. The creatures of nothingness looked through the worlds, almost curious, investigating the restored state of the Realm of Light. They did not attack the Keybearers, or normal people, so the Masters left them alone. In truth, they were pitied. Empty husks, devoid of heart, searching for a way to reclaim what was lost...

He sighed and continued walking. "Even as weird as you guys feel, I wish I could help you guys too."

_WARP_

"Is that so?" came a cold, empty voice.

Sora gave a start as two Dark Corridors appeared to his side, and out of each, stepped a figure in a black cloak. Before he could react, they grabbed his arms, pinning him in place. A third Dark Corridor appeared, and out of it came a slightly hunched over figure in a black cloak.

"Those lost to nothing... those abandoned by both light, and darkness, need nought your pity, boy," asked the newest arrival.

Sora froze. That voice...

He narrowed his eyes. "Xehanort..."

Of course he'd have a nobody too... shit... when would they be free of this bastard?

The cloaked Xehanort walked up to him. "Nor do we need your aid. What we desire and need, we will take for ourselves. To that end, you, boy, have something we require. It took us a bit to realize it, but, the rate that you talk to yourself, or rather, to Kairi, showed us the truth. So, now I ask, Sora..."

Under the hood, Sora saw Xehanort grin wickedly as he placed his hands to Sora's chest. "Can you spare... a heart?"

Sora screamed as Xehanort's hands glowed with nothingness and grew transparent, phasing into his chest. He screamed and screamed, but it wasn't only him. Kairi screamed with him as Xehanort's hand's slowly pulled them apart. With a final tug, he ripped Kairi's heart out of it's resting place and stepped back. The other Nobodies let Sora go, and he collapsed to the street, moaning in pain.

He weakly raised a hand after them as they walked away. "N...no... K-kairi... g-give... her back... p-please..."

Xehanort paused, holding up Kairi's heart as if to examine it. "Don't worry boy, you'll see her again all to soon."

A dark chuckle escaped his lips. "Though, she may not be as you remember her..."

_WARP_

Three Dark Corridors appeared, and the three men vanished, Sora slammed a fist into the ground, took in a deep breath, and screamed at the top of his lungs. "KAIRIIIIIIIIIII!

* * *

The Superior of the In-Between slowly walked through the teeming streets of the World that Never Was. Thousands of lesser Nobodies walked around, with dozens of humanoid ones ambling about as well, talking to one another. He kept Kairi's stolen heart underneath his robes as he walked to the Organization stronghold. He could have simply took a corridor to his destination, but, he wanted to savor his moment of triumph...

Or well...

He would have if he could feel it...

But the action was somewhat pleasing to him. He knew the fledgling heart he was forming would take years to become complete to feel much of anything, if he chose to go that route. He had kept his interactions minimal, and forced the sense of emptiness onto himself and the others, as to not alert them of the body's true nature, always quick to try and replace the heart if properly nurtured.

He contemplated his choice. His Heartless was defeated, he could merely commit suicide to be fully restored, his body and heart would re-complete itself, he knew that from his research. Yet... he dared not do it yet, lest the Keybearers figure out the method of re-completion when a Nobody was involved. If they figured it out... then... they'd try to bring _HER_ back.

Aqua's Heartless was now, finally, out of the way. Her nobody? It sat in Twilight Town doing nothing. That, if she would not aid them, was what he was content with. Aqua had ruined everything the last time around. Choosing her as his host had been a disaster. She ended up far to volatile, and far to powerful to handle. He had underestimated her almost every step of the way, and not taken her seriously enough. Ultimately, it's why he ordered her Nobody watched, but otherwise left alone. It was probably better this way, because if she joined them, she'd eventually have to face the Keybearers, and that would risk her destruction. Albeit, she would be a very useful tool if she did join them, hrmm...

Regardless, he would not risk Aqua returning as a complete person, not until he had the X-Blade in his hands, and the door to Kingdom Hearts, unlocked. To that end, Vexen's replica program might be the key. If they could create obedient replicas of both the Princesses of Heart, and the required seven lights...

He smiled an empty smile, then, the forging of the X-Blade and the opening of Kingdom Hearts would be an assured, trifle mater.

They would soon see whether there was truth and merit in the replica program or not. He walked into the Castle that Never Was, and to the basement, entering into Vexen's secret and shielded labs...

Inside the experimentation room, Vexen was busy scurrying around and inspecting his equipment. The Superior paid him no heed and focused on the what was sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, the object of his desires. It was human in appearance, that of a young girl with black hair and empty blue eyes. Devoid of life as of the moment, awaiting activation. If one were to sit her and Kairi down side-by-side, one would be stricken by how similar they looked. He smirked at that, there was a reason for that after all, she had been made out of the memories he had Marluxia sample from Kairi. She was Kairi's replica... and his puppet...

He walked up to it, and reached a hand to caress it's face. "My puppet... will you grant onto me all that I desire?"

He brought back his hand and withdrew Kairi's heart from his cloak. Vexen had told him that a replica was an incomplete being, so similar to a Nobody. So what then, would a replica become, if it was given the heart of the being it was created from? He had many desires, hopes, and plans resting on the answer to that question.

It was time to find out.

"Is she ready?" asked the Superior of the In-Between.

Vexen nodded. "Yes sir.

"Then awaken my puppet, awaken Xion, number thirteen of the Core Organization, the Key of Heart," said Xehanort, shoving Kairi's heart into the puppet's chest...

* * *

**Final Report**

Status of the Worlds as a whole: Most worlds have been restored to the Realm of Light now that Aqua's Heartless has been defeated. Yet, while the commonfolk have been restored, those known to be of strong will have not, for their Nobodies still exist. Countless upon countless Nobodies were born during the last decade as Aqua's Heartless devoured the worlds. Only now, that the threat of the Heartless has been neutralized for the time being, do the creatures of nothingness stir...

**Factions**

The Organization: A mysterious group of humanoid Nobodies split into many branches. Among them, the Core Organization with their twelve members are said to be the most powerful and dangerous. Their goal is said to be the restoration of their hearts... yet is that the truth? Amongst the whispers of the other branches, there has been word that a thirteenth member for the Core Organization has finally been chosen to wear the coat...

Maleficent: Unseen and unheard for the last decade. After being told of a conversation between Vexen and the apprentice Keybearers, she has begun an unholy and unnatural experimentation, to try and merge Nobodies and Heartless together. The results of these experiments remain to be seen...

The Keybearers: Led by Master Terra, the Keybearers have set out to help restore order and peace to the reborn worlds, locking Keyholes as they find them in order to never risk the dangers of the past happening again. They are lost and conflicted about their role in the new state of things. Should they return to the previous rules of none-interference? Is that even possible after the last decade of darkness? They are uncertain, but, for the time being, it's unimportant. For ever since Kairi's heart was stolen from Sora and he told them, they have made the Nobodies their enemies, trying to track down their friend's stolen heart...

Aqua's Nobody: While not even close to as powerful as her Heartless counterpart had been, she is still a force of nature onto herself. Yet, she resides in Twilight Town, content with her existence as 'The Lady of the Mansion', doing nothing else. The other Nobodies keep careful watch on her daily under the Superior of the In-Between's orders, for a danger like Aqua, even if it's just her Nobody, is not one that will be ignored or taken for granted...

The Worlds: Each invididual world is its own place and has it's own people. Whether they are all receptive to the Keybearers, or the Nobodies, remains to be seen.

The Heartless: While not as powerful or driven as they were before when led by Aqua and Xehanort's Heartlesses, they are still a danger to the worlds.

* * *

Answers, journeys, and the fate of Kairi's heart awaits us in the sequel...

Join us next time in...

_**Xion: Heart of Nothingness** _

* * *

_Secret Movie  
_

Maleficent watched, smiling a wicked smile, as a fat Large Body Emblem Heartless, and the Nobody of Pete, were slowly pushed together. Her magic, Xehanort's Musings, and all her experimentation had come down to this. It was sure to work, it had to! Even with Aqua's Heartless gone, she held no desire to command the Heartless, not when there were bigger and better options to be had!

_SCREAM!_

A horrific, blood curdling scream filled the air as the Heartless and the Nobody were forcibly merged together, a sickly dark and putrid aura filling the air. The body began to warp and deform. One leg was that of a Heartless, one of a Nobody, it's arms were the same. It had a twisted, adjoined face, one half being Pete's, the other being a Heartless. It's chest was a mixture of Pete's armor, and the black skin of a Heartless. Yet...

On it's chest...

Was a symbol.

It was like a mixture of the Heartless and Nobody symbol, except... it was almost horrifically disturbing, even for Maleficent. It was like the spiked Nobody symbol had been speared through the Heartless one, splitting it open. The two halves of the heartless symbol were impaled on the two pointed spikes on either side. A sickly black liquid seemed to coat the parts of the Heartless symbol, and the bottom part of the Nobody symbol, as if it were blood. On the top spike of the Nobody part of the symbol was a red chain, like an X, connecting the two halves of the ripped apart heart forcibly together, preventing it from falling apart, like a prison.

The presence the Heartless and Nobody merger gave off was grating on her senses, disturbing and making her stomach twist. Yet, she ignored the sensation and walked forward, her staff thudding on the floor as she strode forward. She eyed her new, glorious creation. Vexen had thought to call such a merger an Abomination, she called it an Ascended.

"Tell me, Pete, how do you feel?" she asked.

'Pete' turned his eyes towards Maleficent, and screamed an unholy scream of pain, before rushing at her and driving it's hand into her chest. She gasped in shock as the Ascended ripped her heart out. She watched, stunned, as her heart split open, and darkness spilled out of it and wrapped around it. The Ascended Pete thrust the consumed heart back into her body before either could start to fade into darkness.

Maleficant's world turned upside down as horrific pain filled her heart and body. She fell to her knees and screamed as her body began to deform and change...


End file.
